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LIBRARY   I 

UHtVK&ITY  Of     j 
\       CALifOtNlA   y 


j^,^.^.^  ^.  -/f^^My, 


VEDANTA  PHILOSOPHY 

THREE  LECTURES 

BY 

SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA 

ON 

PHILOSOPHY  OF  WORK 

Delivered  under  the  auspices  of 

THE  VEDANTA  SOCIETY 

in  Carnegie  Lyceum,  New  York 


SECOND  EDITION 


PUBUSHED  BT 

THE  VEDANTA  ASHRAMA 
San  Francisco,  Cau. 


Copyright,  1907 

BY   SWAMI    AbHEDANANDA 

New    York 


CONTENTS. 


16G 


Bl?3 
1907 


PACK 

I.   Philosophy  of  Work 7 

II.   Secret  of  Work 4i 

III.   Duty  or  Motive  in  Work  ....     71 


I. 

PHILOSOPHY   OF    WORK. 

**Even  wise  men  are  deluded  on  this  point,  what  is 
action  and  what  is  inaction.  I  shall  tell  thee  the  philoso- 
phy of  work,  by  know^ing  which  thoo  shalt  attain  to 
absolute  freedom  from  all  imperfections.*' — Bbagavad  Gtta, 
Ch.  /K,  V.  j6. 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

Those  who  understand  the  Philosophy 
of  Work  and  act  accordingly,  are  pure  in 
heart  and  enter  into  the  life  of  Blessedness. 

In  Sanskrit  this  philosophy  of  work  is 
called  Karma  Yoga.  It  is  one  of  the 
methods  by  which  the  final  goal  of  Truth 
may  be  realized.  There  are  three  others 
■ — that  of  love,  that  of  wisdom,  and  that  of 
concentration  and  meditation ;  but  all  these 
paths  are  like  so  many  rivers  which  ulti- 
mately flow  into  the  ocean  of  Truth,  and 
each  is  suited  to  the  mental  and  physical 
conditions   of   different   individuals.     One 

in  whom  the  feeling  of  worship  is  predom- 

7 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

inant  will  naturally  choose  the  path  of  love 
and  devotion ;  another,  more  philosophi- 
cal, will  take  that  of  discrimination ;  a  third 
will  prefer  the  practice  of  concentration 
and  meditation;  while  those  who  have  an 
instinctive  tendency  to  work,  W'ho  are 
neither  philosophical  nor  able  to  concen- 
trate or  meditate,  and  who  find  it  difficult 
to  believe  in  a  personal  God,  may,  without 
worship  or  devotion,  reach  realization 
through  the  knowledge  of  the  secret  of 
right  action. 

Karma  Yoga  means  literally  skill  or  dex- 
terity in  work,  and  it  deals  with  all  activity 
whether  of  body  or  mind.  Recognizing 
that  activity  is  an  inevitable  condition  of 
life,  that  no  human  being  can  live  w^ithout 
performing  some  kind  of  work,  either  men- 
tal or  physical,  it  seeks  through  its  teach- 
ing to  show  how  this  constant  output  of 

energy    may    be    utilized    to    acquire    the 

8 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

greatest  spiritual  enlightenment  and  to 
attain  to  perfection  and  absolute  freedom. 
This  can  be  accomplished,  as  we  are  told 
in  the  fourth  chapter  of  the  Bhagavad 
Gita,  by  seeing  in  the  midst  of  activity  that 
which  is  beyond  all  action.  "  He  who 
sees  activity  in  inaction  as  well  as  that 
which  is  above  all  action  in  the  midst  of 
the  activities  of  mind,  body,  and  senses,  is 
wise  among  mankind,  is  a  true  Karma 
Yogi,  and  a  perfect  doer  of  all  actions." 

Ordinarily  we  identify  ourselves  with 
the  work  that  we  are  doing,  and  being 
driven  on  by  the  relentless  necessity  to  act, 
we  make  ourselves  like  machines,  laboring 
without  cessation  until  at  last  we  grow 
weary,  discouraged,  and  unhappy.  When, 
however,  we  realize  that  there  is  within  us 
something  which  transcends  all  activity, 
which  is  unchanging,  immovable,  and  eter- 
nally at  rest,  then  we  accompHsh  our  daily 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

tasks  without  discouragement  or  loss  of 
strength,  because  we  have  learned  the 
Philosophy  of  Work. 

There  are  five  conditions  necessary  for 
the  accomplishment  of  all  mental  or  physi- 
cal labor.  First,  we  must  have  a  physical 
body,  for  it  is  the  storehouse  of  energy. 
If  we  are  without  a  body,  we  can  do  noth- 
ing on  the  physical  plane.  This  body, 
furthermore,  must  be  in  good  condition. 
If  there  is  disease  of  any  kind,  it  is  unfit  for 
right  work.  Second,  there  must  be  pres- 
ent the  sense  of  the  "  ego  "  as  the  doer  or 
actor.  We  must  be  conscious  of  the  "  I  " 
who  feels  the  impulse  to  work  and  pro- 
ceeds to  follow  that  impulse.  Third,  We 
must  have  the  instruments  with  which  to 
work;  these  are  many:  there  are  the  sense 
organs — the  eyes,  ears,  nose,  tongue,  and 
sense  of  touch;  the  five  instruments  of 
physical  work — the  hands,  feet,  etc. ;  and 

lO 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

the  internal  instrument,  the  brain  or  mind- 
substance,  with  all  its  faculties — the  power 
of  will,  cogitation,  determination,  memory. 
Fourth,  we  must  have  the  desire  or  motive 
to  work;  and  fifth,  there  must  be  some 
sort  of  environment.  Without  this  last, 
senses,  external  instruments,  and  brain 
would  avail  us  little.  To  hear  a  sound 
with  our  ears  we  must  have  the  air;  to  see, 
there  must  be  light  and  a  medium  to  trans- 
mit its  waves ;  while  the  body  cannot  move 
without  space.  These  five  conditions  are 
essential  to  every  kind  of  work,  whether 
good  or  bad ;  and  in  the  practice  of  Karma 
Yoga  we  must  be  perpetually  mindful  of 
them,  never  confounding  one  with  the 
other,  but  holding  ever  before  us  the  body, 
its  instruments,  and  the  Knower  or  self- 
conscious  actor  as  distinct  one  from  the 
other. 

The  results  of  actions  performed  under 
II 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

these  five  conditions  are  of  three  kinds — 
those  that  are  desirable  because  they  help 
us  to  fulfil  our  aims  in  life,  and  bring  us 
comfort  and  pleasure;  second,  those  which 
are  not  desirable;  and  third,  those  which 
are  partly  desirable  and  partly  undesirable. 
It  is  not  possible  to  escape  some  one  of 
these    results    at    every    moment    of    our 
existence;    since,    as     has     already    been 
said,   the  activity   of  our   organism  never 
ceases.     Practically   speaking,    there    can- 
not  be   absolute   rest   of   body   or   mind. 
Even  when  the  body  seems  at  rest,  the 
mind   substance   continues   in   a    state    of 
vibration;     and    when     here,     again,     all 
conscious    activity    apparently    stops,    as 
in  the   case   of  deep   sleep,    subconscious 
activity    still    goes     on    in    the    organic 
actions  of  the  system,  such  as  unconscious 
cerebration,  digestion,  breathing,   circula- 
tion;  for    we    are    learning    through    the 

12 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

investigations  of  science  that  the  uncon- 
scious mind  extends  over  a  much  larger 
area  than  the  conscious  mind;  also  that 
all  conscious  activity  first  rises  there. 
Each  of  these  activities  of  mind,  further- 
more, is  bound  to  produce  some  kind  of 
result. 

if,  therefore,  activity  is  inevitable  and 
each  action  must  produce  its  result,  what 
can  we  do  to  make  all  such  results  har- 
monize with  the  highest  ideal  of  life?  By 
searching  for  that  which,  in  the  midst  of 
our  varied  activities  of  mind  and  body, 
remains  always  inactive.  When  we  have 
found  that  and  recognized  it,  we  have 
understood  the  purpose  of  the  Philosophy 
of  Work,  and  can  make  our  every  effort 
lead  us  to  the  final  goal  of  all  religion,  to 
the  realization  of  Truth,  and  to  the  attain- 
ment   of   Blessedness.     If   we    cannot    do 

this,  we  shall  be  forced  to  go  on  reaping 

13 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

the  fruit  of  our  actions  and  continue  in 
the  suffering  and  misery  which  we  now 
endure.  By  practising  the  teachings  of 
the  Philosophy  of  Work,  on  the  other 
hand,  we  shall  not  only  bring  freedom  to 
the  soul,  but  shall  rise  above  all  law  and 
live  on  a  plane  above  motion.  From  the 
minutest  atom  up  to  the  grossest  material 
form,  there  is  constant  motion.  Nowhere 
is  there  rest.  One  thing,  however,  moves 
not ;  one  thing  is  at  rest,  and  Karma  Yoga 
explains  what  that  is,  how  we  may  realize 
it  and  make  ourselves  one  with  it. 

That  something  which  is  beyond  all 
activity  is  called  in  Sanskrit  ''Atman."  It 
is  the  Knower  in  us.  If  we  use  a  higher 
discrimination  and  try  to  understand  the 
nature  of  the  Knower,  by  observing  our 
internal  processes  while  we  are  doing  any- 
thing, we  shall  discover  that  the  Knower 
is  constant.     The  reader  knows  that  he  is 

14 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

sitting"  and  also  that  he  is  reading.  In 
other  words,  he  distinguishes  two  distinct 
objects  of  knowledge;  but  the  conscious- 
ness with  which  he  perceives  them,  remains 
the  same.  In  like  manner,  the  Knower  of 
all  these  different  activities  of  mind  and 
body  is  always  identical.  When  we  hear 
a  sound,  we  know  that  we  hear;  when  we 
see  a  light  we  know  that  we  see ;  but  is 
the  knower  of  sight  different  from  the 
knower  of  sound?  No.  That  which 
knows  the  object  of  sight  or  the  object  of 
sound  is  always  the  same;  it  does  not 
change.  It  was  the  same  ten  years  ago 
and  will  be  the  same  to-morrow.  The 
Knower  of  all  the  experiences  of  our  child- 
hood is  just  the  same  as  the  one  who 
knows  what  we  are  doing  now.  If  we 
study  and  realize  this,  we  shall  find  that 
the    Knower    is    unchangeable    and    not 

bound  by  the  conditions  which  govern  the 

15 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

changeable.  If  it  were  otherwise,  and  if 
changeable  and  unchangeable  were  sub- 
ject to  the  same  conditions,  not  only 
would  it  be  contrary  to  the  estabUshed 
order  of  things,  but  must  cause  great  con- 
fusion, since  there  would  be  no  way  of  dif- 
ferentiating changeable  from  unchange- 
able. 

That  which  is  subject  to  time,  space,  and 
causation  is  changeable;  while  that  which 
is  beyond  these  is  unchangeable.  Time, 
for  instance,  means  "  succession,"  which  is 
a  condition  of  thought;  and  space  means 
"  coexistence."  The  activities  of  mind, 
being  either  in  succession  or  simultaneous, 
produce  the  ideas  of  time  and  space;  they 
are  conditions,  or,  as  Kant  calls  them, 
forms  of  thought.  One  thought  follow- 
ing another  gives  us  a  conception  of  inter- 
vals which  we  call  time;  while,  when  two 

ideas  rise  simultaneously,  that  which  sepa- 

i6 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

rates  them  is  what  we  call  space.  Thus, 
that  which  exists  between  the  idea  "  me  " 
and  the  idea  "  sun  "  we  classify  as  space ; 
yet  it  is  purely  a  mental  concept,  having 
no  existence  outside  the  mind;  for  who 
knows  any  concrete  thing  designated 
space?  Hence,  since  these  ideas  of  time 
and  space  are  merely  conditions  of 
thought,  they  must  be  subject  to  change, 
because  our  thought  is  continually  chang- 
ing. Any  thing  which  takes  form  in  the 
mind  and  is  conditioned  by  time  and  space 
must  change;  but  the  Knower,  not  being 
a  condition  of  mind  or  limited  by  time 
and  space,  does  not  change.  A  certain 
thought  rises  in  our  minds  and  passes,  then 
another  takes  its  place,  to  be  followed 
again  by  still  another;  yet  the  witness  or 
knower  of  all  these  thoughts,  whether  of 
gross  objects  or  of  abstract  ideas,  remains 

the  same.     The  Knower,  when  identified 

17 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

with  the  changes  of  the  mind,  becomes 
knower  and  thinker.  Thinking  is  an  ac- 
tivity of  the  mind  substance;  it  is  a  vibra- 
tory condition  of  this  substance ;  and  when 
the  Knower  takes  upon  itself  that  con- 
dition, it  becomes  knower  and  thinker. 
When  it  identifies  itself  with  sense  powers, 
and  sense  perceptions,  it  becomes  knower 
and  perceiver;  and  it  becomes  the  con- 
scious mover  or  the  physical  man  when  it 
is  one  with  the  conditions  and  activities 
of  the  body. 

In  this  way,  if  we  analyze  our  mental 
activities  and  study  the  nature  of  the 
Knower,  we  find  that  it  is  the  permanent 
source  of  intelligence,  above  mind  and 
beyond  thought,  that  it  is  in  reality  neither 
thinker  nor  actor.  The  Atman  or  Knower 
can  have  neither  desires  nor  passions,  for 
they  are  purely  mental  conditions.     When 

the  Knower  is  identified  with  any  mental 

i8 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

activity,  we  feel,  it  is  true,  that  we  have 
desires  and  passions,  but  in  reahty  we  are 
only  the  Knower  of  desire.  When  we  are 
angry,  the  mind  is  put  into  a  certain  state 
of  vibration  which  is  unpleasant.  At  first 
we  perceive  that  anger  is  rising  in  us ;  then 
gradually,  as  it  gains  strength,  it  covers 
the  whole  mental  plane  and  reflects  on  the 
Knower.  Lacking  the  power  to  separate 
ourselves  from  the  mental  condition,  we 
become  identified  with  the  wave  of  anger 
and  we  say,  "  I  am  angry."  At  the  out- 
set we  saw  anger  as  a  state  of  mind,  but 
by  degrees  it  becomes  inseparable  from 
the  Knower  in  us  until  at  last  we  imagine 
ourselves  one  with  it.  In  this  manner, 
when  the  Knower  comes  to  be  identified 
with  the  conditions  of  the  mind,  of  the 
organs  of  work,  and  of  the  body,  we  appear 
to  be  doers  and  seek  the  results  of  our 

work. 

19 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

When  we  are  identified  with  the  body, 
we  feel  pleasant  and  unpleasant  sensations 
in  the  body.     Environmental  changes  pro- 
duce certain  effects  upon  our  system  and 
we  fancy  that  we  are  one  with  these  effects, 
and  that  they  cause  us  pain  and  suffering; 
but  in  reality  these  changes  do  not  affect 
the  Knower  of  sensation.     If,  for  instance, 
the  weather  changes,  there  will  be  a  corre- 
sponding change  in  the  physical  organism; 
yet  if  we  can  separate  ourselves  from  the 
body,   it   may   experience   such   a   change 
without  our  feeling  it.     If  we  can  learn 
this    lesson    of   dissociating    the    Knower 
from  all  changes  of  body  and  mind,  and 
never  confounding  our  mental  and  physi- 
cal conditions  with  the  immutable  being 
within  us,  we  have  made  a  great  stride 
towards  realizing  the  ideal  of  the  Philos- 
ophy of  Work. 

To  accomplish  any  work  there  must  be 
20 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

present  knowledge,  the  object  of  knowl- 
edge and  the  Knower.  For  instance, 
before  we  can  go  from  one  place  to 
another,  we  must  be  conscious  of  the  act 
of  going;  such  knowledge  is  indispensable, 
and  the  object  of  knowledge — that  is, 
where  we  are  going — is  equally  necessary, 
while  neither  can  exist  without  the 
Knower.  Knowledge,  again,  is  of  three 
kinds.  First,  the  knowledge  of  the  thing 
or  of  the  sense-object,  not  as  it  is  in 
reality  but  as  it  appears  to  us.  We  have 
the  five  objects  of  knowledge — sound, 
color,  odor,  savor,  and  touch.  These  we 
can  perceive  with  our  five  senses  and 
through  these  channels  we  acquire  this 
first  stage  of  knowledge.  We  learn  that 
things  exist  around  us,  but  such  knowl- 
edge being  limited,  we  do  not  arrive  at 
an  understanding  of  these  things  as  they 
really  are.     We  say  ordinarily,  for  exam- 

21 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

pie,  that  we  hear  a  sound  or  see  a  color, 
locating  sound  and  color  outside  of  us.  If, 
however,  we  analyze  the  nature  of  sound 
or  of  color,  we  find  that  sound  is  nothing 
but  vibration  of  air  carried  by  the  auditory 
nerves  to  the  brain  where  we  perceive  the 
sensation,  which  when  projected  outside, 
becomes  external  sound.  Similarly  it  can 
be  shown  that  the  color  we  see  is  not  in 
the  object  or  in  the  luminous  rays  which 
emanate  from  the  object,  but  is  caused  by 
ether  waves  in  a  certain  degree  of  vibra- 
tion. That  vibrant  ether  coming  in  con- 
tact with  retina  and  optic  nerve,  produces 
a  kind  of  nervous  stimulation  which  results 
in  the  sensation  of  color  in  the  brain.  By 
projecting  these  sensations  outside  of  our 
bodies  we  locate  them  on  distant  objects 
and  then  say  that  we  see  this  or  that  color. 
Again,  if  we  are  going  to  some  place, 
we  may  think  that  we  are  walking  toward 

22 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

the  north  at  the  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour; 
but  our  knowledge  of  this  fact  is  only  rela- 
tively correct,  for  to  estimate  our  speed 
accurately,  we  must  know  all  the  condi- 
tions which  affect  our  w^alking.  How  can 
we  say  that  we  are  moving  northward  at 
a  speed  of  two  miles  an  hour,  when  we 
know  that  the  earth  is  rotating  on  its  axis 
from  west  to  east  at  the  rate  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  miles  in  twenty-four  hours, 
or  over  one  thousand  miles  an  hour? 
Again  it  is  whirling  round  the  sun  at  the 
rate  of  eighteen  miles  per  second,  or  sixty- 
four  thousand  eight  hundred  miles  per 
hour;  while  the  sun  and  the  whole  plane- 
tary system  are  travelling  with  a  tremen- 
dous velocity  in  a  grand,  far-sweeping 
spiral  motion  around  some  other  centre. 
Such  being  the  facts,  how  imperfect  is  the 
knowledge  which  makes  us  think  that  we 

are  moving  towards  the  north.     In  reality 

^3 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

there  is  neither  north  nor  south.  From 
our  standpoint  we  may  seem  to  be  walk- 
ing at  the  rate  of  two  miles  an  hour,  but 
our  speed  will  be  increased  a  thousandfold 
in  another  direction  when  we  take  into 
consideration  the  diurnal  motion  of  the 
earth  and  its  annual  revolution  round  the 
sun.  Furthermore,  it  can  be  shown  that 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  universe  we  are 
not  moving  at  all.  Since  the  whole  uni- 
verse is  in  reality  a  unit,  where  will  it 
move?  It  cannot  move  anywhere.  There- 
fore as  a  part  of  it  we  are  not  moving  and 
can  go  nowhere. 

Thus  by  proper  analysis  we  have  been 
carried  from  the  first  to  the  second  kind 
of  knowledge — from  the  limited  knowl- 
edge of  the  conditions  under  w^hich  the 
body  seems  to  be  moving,  to  the  higher 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  as  they  actu- 
ally are,  and  not  as  they  merely  appear  to 

24 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

be.  From  this  we  may  pass  to  the  third 
or  highest  kind  of  knowledge,  which  re- 
veals to  us  the  unity  of  existence.  With 
the  help  of  this  knowledge  we  learn  to 
look  at  things  from  the  standpoint  of  one 
absolute  reality  which  is  the  eternal 
Knower  of  the  universe.  The  moment 
that  we  think  that  our  body  is  a  part  of 
the  universal  body,  our  mind  not  separate 
from  the  cosmic  mind,  and  that  our  souls, 
being  parts  of  one  universal  Soul,  are  most 
intimately  connected  with  one  another, 
all  activity  assumes  a  new  meaning  for  us, 
and  it  becomes  impossible  for  us  to  act 
from  selfish  motives  or  to  do  wrong.  It 
is  when,  on  account  of  our  imperfect 
knowledge,  we  identify  our  true  Self,  the 
Knower,  with  the  limitations  of  mind  and 
body,  that  we  become  selfish  and  are  ready 
to  do  the  things  which  bring  us  suffering 

and  misery.     If,  however,  we  remain  con- 

25 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

scions  of  the  oneness  of  the  universe,  of 

the  laws  that  govern  mind  and  body,  of  the 

relation  which  one  soul  bears  to  another, 

and  of  the  various  planes  existing  in  the 

universe,   we    cannot    make    any    mistake 

whatever.      The  light  of  true  knowledge 

dispels  the  darkness  of  ignorance  which  is 

the  cause   of  selfishness,  and  reveals   the 

true  nature  of  the  Knower  which  is  above 

all  activity. 

That   knowledge   is   the   highest   which 

brings  us  into  conscious  harmony  with  the 

universe,    wdiich    makes    us    realize    that 

the  Knower  is  separate  from  the   object 

known,  and  that  nothing  in  the  universe 

can  ever  exist  without  depending  upon  the 

existence  of  one  universal  Knower,  which 

manifests    through    each    individual   form. 

This  highest   knowledge  of  oneness  kills 

the  idea  of  separateness  and  resolves  the 

multiplicity    of    phenomenal    objects    into 

26 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

that  underlying  Reality  which  is  one.  The 
phenomenal  objects  of  the  universe,  such 
as  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  are  in  truth  like 
so  many  eddies  in  the  vast  ocean  of  matter 
in  motion.  Apparently  they  are  separate 
from  one  another,  but  they  are  closely  con- 
nected each  with  the  other  by  the  under- 
current of  that  primordial  energy,  which 
manifests  itself  as  the  various  forces  of 
nature.  The  sum  total  of  this  energy 
in  the  universe  is  neither  increased  nor 
diminished,  but  is  eternally  one.  It  is  also 
inseparable  from  the  Infinite  Being,  which 
is  the  source  of  existence  and  conscious- 
ness. Being  deluded  by  appearances,  we 
get  the  idea  of  separateness  and  see  one 
body  as  distinct  from  another;  but  when 
we  go  below  the  surface  and  seek  that 
which  produces  variety,  tracing  it  back  to 
its    final    cause,    the    eternal    energy,    we 

inevitably  arrive  at  the  knowledge  of  one- 

27 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

ness.  This  is  the  problem  which  every 
individual  will  have  to  solve.  It  has  been 
solved  already  thousands  of  times  by  the 
best  thinkers  and  philosophers  of  the 
world,  but  their  solution  cannot  bring  sat- 
isfaction to  others.  If  one  person  has 
realized  the  oneness  of  existence,  he  will 
possess  true  wisdom,  freedom  from  all 
delusions,  and  unbounded  peace  of  mind ; 
another,  however,  cannot  gain  the  same 
result  until  he  has  risen  to  a  like  realiza- 
tion. With  the  attainment  of  this  highest 
knowledge  of  oneness  all  questions  will  be 
answered,  all  doubts  will  cease;  but  it  is 
impossible  to  make  the  unawakened  mind 
grasp  what  this  means,  for  to  understand, 
one  must  have  experienced  it  for  himself. 
The  first  kind  of  knowledge,  as  has  been 
already  said,  is  the  most  limited.  It  is  the 
knowledge  of  the  fleeting  appearance  of 

sense-objects    as   reality.     Animals   know 

28  ' 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

their  food,  they  hear  sound,  they  smell, 
taste,  and  feel  the  changes  of  the  weather; 
but  that  is  all.  They  do  not  understand 
the  causes  of  their  sensations ;  their  mind 
does  not  function  on  a  plane  higher  than 
that  of  the  senses,  hence  they  know  noth- 
ing of  the  things  imperceptible  to  the 
senses.  Those  who  are  living  on  this 
plane  of  sense-perceptions  are  like  animals. 
They  do  not  believe  in  the  existence  of 
things  which  cannot  be  revealed  by  the 
senses;  they  cannot  differentiate  matter 
from  spirit,  soul  from  body,  or  the  Knower 
from  the  object  known;  consequently  they 
always  identify  themselves  with  their  men- 
tal and  physical  activities.  The  majority 
of  people  in  every  country  have  not  as  yet 
advanced  beyond  this  first  stage  of  knowl- 
edge ;  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  they 
are  so  narrow  in  their  ideas,  so  selfish,  so 

intent  on  seeking  the  comforts  of  the  body 

29 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

and  the  pleasures  of  the  senses  without 
thought  of  others.  Many  are  still  even 
below  the  higher  animals  in  the  matter  of 
faithfulness,  devotion,  and  care  of  their 
young. 

Such  knowledge,  however,  is  in  reality 
ignorance;  and  the  Philosophy  of  Work 
strives  to  lead  us  out  of  this  state  of  dark- 
ness to  that  of  the  highest  enlightenment, 
by  which  we  may  recognize  the  true  rela- 
tion of  the  individual  to  the  universe,  and 
ultimately  realize  the  goal  of  unity.  Ordi- 
nary people  are  as  unconscious  of  this 
oneness  as  they  are  of  the  fact  that  they 
are  carrying  a  weight  of  fifteen  pounds  to 
every  square  inch  of  the  surface  of  their 
bodies.  Think  what  a  total  weight  this 
means!  So  great,  indeed,  that  if  the  body 
were  put  into  a  vacuum,  where  this  atmos- 
pheric    pressure     would     be     no     longer 

exerted,  it  would  immediately  burst.     Yet 

30 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

people  bear  this  burden  day  after  day  with- 
out knowing  it  until  they  try  to  climb  some 
steep  ascent.  So  it  is  with  the  knowledge 
of  their  true  nature.  Having  no  realiza- 
tion of  it,  they  believe  that  they  have 
learned  everything,  because  they  have 
learned  to  care  for  the  body;  but  the  wise 
man  laughs  at  such  primitive  conceptions 
of  life.  At  every  step  we  meet  this  ordinary 
knowledge,  which  is  based  on  some  par- 
ticular idea,  narrow  and  limited  in  scope, 
w4th  no  element  of  higher  knowledge  in 
it;  and  it  is  this  ignorance  which  is  the 
cause  of  all  of  our  mistakes.  To  avoid 
them,  we  must  continually  ask  the  ques- 
tion: Who  is  doing  the  work?  Spirit, 
mind,  senses,  or  body?  Who  is  the 
worker?  If  we  wish  to  put  the  Philosophy 
of  Work  in  practice,  we  must  keep  this 
thought    constantly    in    mind.     Then    we 

should  next  ask:  What  special  work  must 

31 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

we  do  to  attain  to  the  realization  of  the 
Knower? 

First  of  all,  we  must  train  our  minds. 
We  must  open  our  eyes  to  the  conditions 
under  which  we  work;  and  when  we  have 
learned  to  distinguish  between  the  Knower 
and  the  actor,  we  shall  find  it  easy  to  apply 
this  knowledge  to  our  every-day  life.  We 
must  remember  that  the  five  conditions 
already  described  are  absolutely  necessary 
for  any  kind  of  work;  but  they  can  in  no 
way  influence  or  affect  the  Knower.  Intel- 
lect, mind,  body,  and  senses  exist  in  rela- 
tion to  it  and  cannot  be  active  if  cut  off 
from  it ;  but  they  are  perpetually  changing, 
while  it  is  unchangeable.  He  who  realizes 
this — that  all  things  on  the  mental  or 
physical  plane  exist  only  so  long  as  they 
are  in  relation  to  the  Atman,  the  absolute 
source  of  life  and  knowledge,  sees  that  one 
which  is  inactive  in  the  midst  of  all  activ- 


PHILOSOPHY   OF   WORK. 

ity,  and  becomes  a  right  worker.  Such 
an  one  attains  to  perfection  through  his 
work. 

Let  the  body  work,  then,  while  we 
remember  that  it  is  the  mind  and  the 
sense  organs  which  are  working,  and  that 
we  are  in  reahty  the  Knower,  the  Atman. 
Anything  else  is  not  permanently  con- 
nected with  us.  We  have  taken  this  body 
for  the  time  being  and  are  using  it  for  the 
fulfilment  of  the  highest  purpose  of  life ; 
but  through  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  our 
true  Self  is  above  all  physical  conditions, 
we  have  identified  ourselves  with  our 
material  instrument.  Not  realizing  that 
we  transcend  all  activity,  we  have  imagined 
ourselves  one  with  our  mental  modifica- 
tions and  our  organic  functions ;  and  hav- 
ing fettered  ourselves  with  desires,  we  are 
struggling  to  satisfy  them.  When,  how- 
ever, we  recognize  that  these  desires  are 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

not  permanently  related  to  the  true  Self, 
that  they  exist  in  mind  only,  and  that  we 
can  use  them  as  a  means  of  attaining  to 
perfect  freedom,  then  they  will  cease  to 
bind  us  and  we  shall  find  rest  and  peace  in 
the  midst  of  our  troubles.  If  anger  or 
hatred  or  desire  surge  up  within  us,  we 
have  only  to  separate  ourselves  from  that 
mental  change  and  it  will  vanish.  If  pas- 
sion arise,  we  have  only  to  remember  that 
we  are  the  witness-Hke  Knower  of  passion 
and  it  will  subside.  It  is  when  we  forget 
that  we  are  the  Knower,  and  become  iden- 
tified with  anger,  passion,  or  hatred,  that 
we  fall  under  their  dominion. 

By  studying  the  conditions  under  which 
we  perform  all  work,  we  can  separate  our 
true  Self  from  those  conditions  and  be 
happy.  Then  we  work  without  consider- 
ing results ;  but  the  moment  that  we  think 

of  gaining  some   specific  end,  we  delude 

34 


PHILOSOPHY    OF   WORK. 

ourselves  and  work  ignorantly,  for  the 
knowledge  possessed  at  that  time  is  partial 
and  imperfect.  Perfect  knowledge  reveals 
the  Knower  which  is  above  all  activities 
and  the  reality  which  underlies  all  phe- 
nomenal objects;  understanding  this,  we 
live  in  the  world  and  labor,  without  being 
enslaved,  like  ordinary  workers,  by  desire 
for  work  or  for  its  results.  To  the  out- 
sider we  may  appear  to  be  like  other  work- 
ers, but  our  mental  attitude  is  different; 
and  though  we  may  outwardly  resemble 
them,  we  are  not,  as  they  are,  affected  by 
the  tasks  which  we  perform  with  our  body, 
mind,  and  senses;  nor  are  we  prompted  by 
selfish  motives. 

Wise  men  work  ceaselessly,  being  con- 
scious at  the  same  time  that  they  are  not 
working;  allowing  the  body  and  mind 
to    act,    but    seeking    nothing    in    return. 

According  to  the  Philosophy  of  Work,  all 

35 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

zation  of  the  fact  that  they  are  above 
all  change.  Such  persons  have  learned 
the  secret  of  work.  They  are  peaceful, 
blessed,  and  the  true  workers  of  this 
earth. 

38 


II. 

SECRET   OF   WORK. 

'*  To  work  thou  hast  the  rights  but  never  to  the  fruits. 
Be  not  actuated  by  thirst  for  the  results  of  action,  nor 
be  thou  pleased  in  inaction."— 5*.  Gtta,  Ch.  II,  v.  47. 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

ous  acts  and  scenes,  some  tragic,  some 
serio-comic,  some  melodramatic.  The 
large  majority  of  mankind,  however,  do 
not  realize  that  they  are  thus  acting  on  the 
stage  of  the  world.  They  have  forgotten 
that  they,  themselves,  have  selected  the 
roles  which  they  are  impersonating,  that 
by  their  own  choice  they  have  assumed 
these  characters.  They  fancy,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  some  invisible  being  has  forced 
them  to  fill  these  parts ;  and  whenever  they 
achieve  a  gratifying  result,  they  imagine 
that  that  unseen  being  is  pleased;  while, 
if  the  result  be  painful,  they  weep  and  wail 
and  blame  the  same  invisible  power. 

Occasionally  some  of  the  actors  or 
actresses,  disliking  their  own  parts,  try 
to  change  with  others  whose  parts  seem 
more  attractive,  because  they  show  a  little 
merriment  in  their  play;  so  they  pass  from 

one   role   to   another.     Always,    however, 

42 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

they  continue  to  act  on  this  world  stage, 

gaining  experience  at  every  step,  as  they 

move  onward  toward  the  fulfilment  of  the 

purpose   of  the   drama.     This  purpose   is 

the  emancipation  of  the  soul  from  slavery 

to  the  laws  of  nature  and  from  the  bondage 

of  ignorance,  selfishness,  ambition,  and  all 

imperfections  wdiich  hold  it  down  on  the 

plane  of  phenomena.     Those  who  attain 

the  goal  retire  from  the  stage  and  appear 

no  more.     They  live  in  bliss  and  happiness 

in  the  higher  realm  of  Divinity. 

The  cause  of  all  these  different  parts 

which  the  individual  souls  are  playing,  lies 

within  the  actors  and  actresses  themselves 

and  not   outside   of  them.     In  their  own 

inner  nature  is  it  to  be  found;  and  as  the 

power  of  growth,  which  is  latent  in  the 

seed   buried   beneath   the    surface   of   the 

earth,  gradually  bursts  forth  and  manifests 

itself   in   the   form    of    plants,    trees,    and 

43 


SECRET  OF   WORK. 

This  world  may  be  compared  to  a 
gigantic  stage,  where  the  drama  of  Hfe  is 
constantly  going  on.  Individual  souls  are 
the  actors ;  they  play  the  parts  for  which 
they  are  best  fitted,  their  desires,  tenden- 
cies, and  capacities  determining  their  acts. 
One  takes  the  part  of  a  president,  of  a 
king,  a  governor,  or  prince;  another,  that 
of  a  merchant  or  lawyer;  a  third,  that  of 
a  husband;  a  fourth,  that  of  a  mother;  but 
each  without  exception  plays  his  role  day 
after  day  and  night  after  night,  contribut- 
ing,  either   consciously  or  unconsciously, 

to  the  vast  drama  called  life,  with  its  vari- 

41 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

ous  acts  and  scenes,  some  tragic,  some 
serio-comic,  some  melodramatic.  The 
large  majority  of  mankind,  however,  do 
not  realize  that  they  are  thus  acting  on  the 
stage  of  the  world.  They  have  forgotten 
that  they,  themselves,  have  selected  the 
roles  which  they  are  impersonating,  that 
by  their  own  choice  they  have  assumed 
these  characters.  They  fancy,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  some  invisible  being  has  forced 
them  to  fill  these  parts ;  and  w^henever  they 
achieve  a  gratifying  result,  they  imagine 
that  that  unseen  being  is  pleased;  while, 
if  the  result  be  painful,  they  weep  and  wail 
and  blame  the  same  invisible  power. 

Occasionally  some  of  the  actors  or 
actresses,  disliking  their  own  parts,  try 
to  change  with  others  whose  parts  seem 
more  attractive,  because  they  show  a  little 
merriment  in  their  play ;  so  they  pass  from 

one   role   to   another.     Always,    however, 

42 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

they  continue  to  act  on  this  world  stage, 

gaining  experience  at  every  step,  as  they 

move  onward  toward  the  fulfilment  of  the 

purpose   of  the   drama.     This  purpose   is 

the  emancipation  of  the  soul  from  slavery 

to  the  laws  of  nature  and  from  the  bondage 

of  ignorance,  selfishness,  ambition,  and  all 

imperfections  which  hold  it  down  on  the 

plane  of  phenomena.     Those  who  attain 

the  goal  retire  from  the  stage  and  appear 

no  more.     They  live  in  bliss  and  happiness 

in  the  higher  realm  of  Divinity. 

The   cause   of   all   these   different   parts 

which  the  individual  souls  are  playing,  lies 

within  the  actors  and  actresses  themselves 

and  not  outside  of  them.     In  their  own 

inner  nature  is  it  to  be  found;  and  as  the 

power  of  growth,  which  is  latent  in  the 

seed   buried   beneath   the    surface   of   the 

earth,  gradually  bursts  forth  and  manifests 

itself   in    the   form    of    plants,    trees,    and 

43 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

shrubs,  each  showing  the  pecuHarities  con- 
tained in  the  original  seed,  so  these  powers 
that  are  slumbering  in  each  human  soul, 
wake  up  in  time,  stir  it  to  action,  and  force 
it  to  assume  some  particular  part  in  the 
pla}^  It  is  these  latent  powers  when 
roused  to  activity  that  we  know  as  our 
desires  and  motives.  So  long  as  these 
desires  and  motives  are  perfectly  dormant, 
there  is  no  sign  of  activity ;  and  this  latent 
or  dormant  state  is  called  in  Sanskrit 
Tamas.  We  can  understand  its  character 
better  if  we  examine  the  condition  of  deep 
sleep.  In  that  state  the  power  of  walk- 
ing, of  hearing,  speaking,  is  latent  and 
finds  no  outward  expression.  It  is  a  state 
of  inertia  or  inactivity;  but  when  this 
power  wakes  up,  it  produces  a  vibration 
in  the  mind  substance,  and  this  vibration 
we  call  mental  activity.  This  again,  when 
manifested  on  the  external  plane,  appears 

44 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

in  the  form  of  physical  activity.  All  physi- 
cal activity,  however,  necessarily  presup- 
poses mental  activity. 

Each  germ  of  life  possesses  infinite 
potentialities  stored  up  within  it;  and 
these,  as  they  pass  from  the  condition  of 
Tamas  to  that  of  active  desire,  drive  it  on 
through  the  various  stages  of  evolution — 
from  the  vegetable  into  the  animal  king- 
dom and  on  to  that  of  man.  The  first  glim- 
mering of  mental  activity  appears  in  the 
lower  animals;  and  it  reaches  its  climax 
when  the  germ  of  life  manifests  as  a  human 
being.  In  the  human  form  the  mind  at- 
tains its  highest  state  of  activity,  and  this 
active  state  of  mind  is  called  in  Sanskrit 
Rajas,  the  meaning  of  which  is  activity. 
This  impels  the  individual  to  express  itself 
in  mental  and  physical  action,  which  pro- 
duce certain  impressions  on  the  mind,  and 

these    impressions    become    the    seed    of 

45 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

future  activities  and  desires.  Thus  every 
action,  whether  physical  or  mental,  has 
three  states:  First,  activity  or  desire;  sec- 
ond, outward  action ;  third,  impression. 
After  this  it  remains  dormant  for  a  time, 
then  wakes  up,  appears  in  the  form  of 
desire,  expresses  itself  in  some  action,  of 
mind  or  body,  and  again  produces  an 
impression. 

Each  individual  is  bound  by  these  three 
conditions — activity  or  desire,  work,  and 
impression.  We  cannot  arrest  our  exter- 
nal work  so  long  as  there  is  mental  activ- 
ity. We  are  impelled  to  some  kind  of 
exertion  by  our  own  inner  nature.  For 
this  reason  it  is  said  in  the  Bhagavad  Gita : 

''  None  verily,  even  for  an  instant,  ever 

remains  doing  no  action ;  for  every  one  is 

driven  helpless  to  action  by  the  energies 

born    of   nature."     Unable,    therefore,    to 

resist  this  inner  force,  we  are  bound  to  do 

46 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

that  which  we  are  doing.  Each  of  our 
actions,  furthermore,  must  inevitably  pro- 
duce some  result.  Every  action  is  followed 
by  a  corresponding-  reaction,  which  returns 
to  the  point  from  which  it  started;  hence 
the  reaction  of  each  action  must  come 
back  to  the  soul  itself  and  influence  the 
doer.  Further  study  also  shows  us  that 
the  character  of  action  and  reaction  must 
be  the  same.  If  the  action  be  good,  the 
reaction  will  be  good ;  if  the  action  be  evil, 
the  reaction  will  likewise  be  evil.  This 
law  of  action  and  reaction,  or  of  cause  and 
effect,  is  called  in  Sanskrit  Karma.  Bound 
by  this  law  of  Karma,  each  individual  soul 
is  performing  various  works ;  each  actor  is 
playing  his  part  and  reaping  its  results, 
which  are  in  the  form  of  good  or  evil,  hap- 
piness or  suffering. 

That  which  we  are  doing  to-day  is  the 

result  of  the  dormant  powers  with  which 

47 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

we  were  born ;  and  the  cause  of  these  pow- 
ers lies  in  the  activity  of  some  previous 
state  of  existence.     We  have  not  received 
any  of  these  latent  powers  from  outside ; 
but  as  we  see  that  every  action  here  leaves 
a  certain  impression  which,  after  a  period 
of   quiescence,    is   again    aroused,    so    the 
cause  of  existing  desires  must  be  found  in 
impressions  created  by  past  action.     Our 
present   life   is   a   connecting   link   in   the 
chain  of  our  appearances  on  the  phenome- 
nal plane.     Our  present  is  the  result  of  our 
past,  and  our  future  must  be  the  result  of 
our  present.     Since  this  is  true,  then  we 
can   determine  our  past  by  studying  our 
present.     Many  people  ask,  What  proof  is 
there  that  we  have  had  a  past  and  that  we 
shall   have   a    future?     The   proof  is   our 
present  condition.     And  this  can  be  dem- 
onstrated scientifically  by  the  law  of  cause 

and  sequence.     The  cause  is  inherent  in 

48 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

the  effect,  and  the  effect  is  the  outward 
manifestation  of  the  cause;  therefore,  if 
we  are  the  effects  of  something,  that  cause 
must  be,  not  outside,  but  within  us.  This 
we  learn  by  observing  nature  and  under- 
standing the  law  of  causation.  This  law, 
moreover,  is  irresistible  and  relentless.  It 
does  not  stop  for  the  orphan's  cry  or  for 
the  widow's  tears;  it  sweeps  on  without 
pity  and  unchecked  by  any  obstacle.  It 
moulds  the  character  of  every  individual — 
of  sages  and  sinners,  of  kings  and  beggars; 
every  one  is  bound  by  it,  no  one  can 
escape  it.  Driven  by  it,  we  are  moving 
hither  and  thither,  apparently  in  a  straight 
line,  but  more  often  in  a  circle.  Starting 
from  one  desire,  we  go  to  a  certain  dis- 
tance, describe  a  curve,  and  come  back  to 
the  same  place  without  the  smallest  knowl- 
edge of  where  and  how  the  purpose  of  life 

will  be  achieved. 

49 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

In  this  wheel  of  action  and  reaction  each 
individual  soul  is  passing  from  one  point 
to  another,  on  and  on,  age  after  age.  Is 
there  any  hope  of  extricating  ourselves 
from  this  wheel?  Ignorant  and  short- 
sighted people  deny  the  existence  of  the 
law  of  Karma.  They  say  that  all  activity 
will  end  after  the  death  of  this  body;  that 
nothing  will  remain;  that  no  one  will  be 
responsible  for  this  body's  actions.  But 
is  it  likely  that  the  law  of  cause  and  effect, 
of  action  and  reaction,  will  cease  to  func- 
tion because  these  ignorant  people  do  not 
understand  and  believe  it?  No.  Whether 
we  believe  it  or  not,  it  wall  continue  to 
produce  its  results,  just  as  the  law  of  grav- 
ity operates,  whether  a  man  observes  or 
disregards  it.  Our  belief  or  disbelief  can 
never  arrest  the  law  of  Karma  in  its  cease- 
less action. 

Such  being   the  decree  of  nature,  and 

50 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

the  consistency  of  the  law,  the  questions 

arise:  How  shall  we  work,  what  shall  we 

do  to  fulfil  the  purpose  of  this  drama  of 

life?     How    can   we    free    ourselves   from 

this    law    which    has    made    us    slaves    of 

desire  and  passion?     These  questions  do 

not  present   themselves   often  to  western 

minds,  because  they  do  not  realize  their 

importance    so    strongly   as    the    Hindus ; 

because,   also,   they   do   not   find  in   their 

religion  any  specific  mention  of  the   law^ 

of    Karma.      It    is    modern    science    that 

is    bringing    out    into    such    strong    relief 

this  law  of  causation;  but  the  Scriptures 

deal   little   with  it.     They   try   to   explain 

everything  by  the  law  of  heredity,  or  by 

the    intervention    of    some    supernatural 

power,   always   placing   the   cause   of  our 

deeds  outside  of  us.     They  say  that  we  are 

impelled  by   some   external  power  to   do 

certain  things,  but  who  or  what  that  power 

51 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

is,  they  cannot  tell  us.  In  India,  however, 
volumes  upon  volumes  have  been  written 
on  the  subject;  it  has  been  discussed  for 
ages;  the  law  of  Karma  has  been  applied 
to  the  problems  of  every-day  existence,  and 
through  it  has  come  an  understanding  of 
the  mysteries  of  life  which  has  brought 
consolation  to  millions. 

Since  the  law  of  Karma  is,  therefore,  so 
inexorable,  every  individual  must  be  sub- 
ject to  it — not  only  in  this  life  but  also  in 
future  lives.  Can  there  then  be  no  escape 
from  it?  Will  there  not  come  a  time 
when  the  soul  will  gain  freedom  from  this 
bondage  of  nature?  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  soul  is  not  created  for  nature,  but 
nature  is  working  for  the  experience  of 
each  individual  soul.  We  must  realize 
this;  but  until  we  understand  the  soul  in 
its  true  light,  we  cannot  discern  whether 

physical  nature  was  made  for  it  or  whether 

52 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

it  was  made  for  physical  nature.  If,  how- 
ever, we  study  our  own  souls  carefully,  we 
find  that  our  mind,  intellect,  senses,  and 
body  are  within  the  realm  of  phenomena; 
while  the  real  Self  is  something  which 
stands  as  a  witness  outside  and  beyond 
mind,  intellect,  body,  and  senses.  That 
witness-like  something  within  us  is  beyond 
nature  and  its  laws.  It  is  already  free;  if 
it  were  not,  w^e  should  not  seek  freedom. 
The  yearning  for  freedom  is  within  us ;  and 
as  there  cannot  be  a  yearning  for  some- 
thing which  does  not  exist  in  reality,  we 
can  safely  say  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  absolute  freedom,  which  will  be  attained 
sooner  or  later  as  the  ultimate  purpose  of 
every  human  life. 

We  have  seen  that  all  the  causes  of  our 
actions  are  the  motives  or  desires  which 
lie    within    ourselves.     So    long   as    these 

desires  are  there,  we  are  forced  to  work 

53 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

and  reap  the  fruit  of  our  labors.  In  every- 
day life  each  individual  is  constantly  per- 
forming some  kind  of  work  from  some 
motive.  Some  work  for  money,  some  for 
name  and  fame ;  some  work  in  the  hope  of 
attaining  heaven,  and  others  as  a  penance. 
A  certain  number  acquire  immense  wealth 
through  their  labors,  and  imagine  that  by 
the  accumulation  of  riches  they  are  fulfil- 
ling the  purpose  of  life;  but  if  this  were 
true,  these  people  would  be  perfectly 
happy  and  contented.  Yet  when  their 
storehouses  are  full,  they  still  reach  out 
for  the  peace  and  happiness  which  their 
wealth  cannot  bring  them.  Such  motives 
all  proceed  from  selfishness;  and  so  long 
as  we  foster  them,  we  must  reap  the  results 
of  our  desires,  remain  attached  to  them, 
and  continue  to  be  fettered  by  the  chain  of 
cause  and  effect.     All  work  done  through 

selfish  motives  binds  the  soul  to  the  fruits 

54 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

thereof,  and  is  in  consequence  a  cause  of 
bondage.  If,  however,  we  can  once  reach 
the  point  of  working  without  having  desire 
for  results,  without  seeking  any  return, 
then  the  law  of  Karma  will  be  broken  and 
freedom  will  be  ours.  How  can  we  do 
this?  By  working  for  work's  sake  and  not 
to  fulfil  selfish  desires. 

Here  it  may  be  asked  whether  it  is  pos- 
sible to  work  for  work's  sake.  Of  course, 
those  who  are  striving  for  individual  ends, 
such  as  name,  fame,  or  money,  will  say  that 
it  is  impossible;  but  there  are  a  few  in 
every  country  who  work  without  personal 
motive,  without  desire  for  return,  and  they 
are  the  salt  of  the  earth.  They  work  as 
if  they  were  paying  off  a  debt  which  they 
owe  to  society,  to  parents,  to  humanity. 
If  we  can  labor  with  this  idea,  that  all  we 
do  is   merely   to   cancel   our  debt  to   the 

universe,   then   we    can   work   for   work's 

55 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

sake.  When  we  pay  off  a  debt,  do  we 
think  of  getting  something  in  return? 
No ;  we  do  our  work,  cancel  our  obligation, 
and  think  no  more  about' it.  Every  indi- 
vidual, on  account  of  his  birth,  owes  some- 
thing to  State  and  country,  to  family  and 
neighbors,  to  his  spiritual  teachers,  and  to 
his  higher  Self.  While  he  lives  in  society, 
he  owes  a  duty  to  society.  So  long  as  he 
is  guarded  and  protected  by  social  condi- 
tions, he  is  in  debt  to  the  social  body 
which  maintains  them.  How  can  he  pay 
that  debt?  By  being  a  good  member  of 
society,  by  doing  what  he  can  to  help  all 
other  members,  and  by  making  every  effort 
to  fulfil  his  obligation  to  the  community 
and  to  mankind. 

We  must  recognize  the  rights  of  others 
and  not  perform  any  act  which  may 
infringe  upon  those  rights.  We  must  not 
injure  our  neighbor,  since  we  do  not  wish 

56 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

to  be  injured  by  him;  and  at  the  same 
time  we  must  remember  that  our  motive 
in  working  is  not  to  get  some  return,  but 
to  pay  off  the  debt  which  we  owe  to  the 
world.  By  being  good  members  of  the 
family,  and  by  bringing  up  our  children  in 
the  right  way,  we  pay  our  debt  to  parents 
and  forefathers.  By  studying  the  works 
of  great  men  and  by  learning  all  the  wis- 
dom which  has  been  gathered  by  the  wise 
ones,  we  cancel  our  debt  to  them;  while 
we  daily  pay  our  debt  to  our  spiritual 
teachers  by  following  their  example  and 
precepts,  and  by  helping  mankind  in  the 
path  of  spiritual  progress. 

In  India  every  individual  life  is  divided 
into  four  periods,  each  of  which  is  fixed 
for  paying  off  debts  to  some  portion  of  the 
world — to  parents,  society,  spiritual  teach- 
ers, or  to  our  own  higher  Self.     The  debt 

which  we  owe  to  this  highest  Self  can  be 

57 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

paid  by  realizing  our  true  nature,  by  know- 
ing who  and  what  we  are  in  reahty,  and  by 
emancipating  the  soul  from  the  bondage 
of  nature  as  well  as  from  the  irresistible 
law  of  Karma,  which  keeps  it  on  the  phe- 
nomenal plane.  This  debt  should  be  can- 
celled before  the  time  of  departure  comes, 
and  in  India  this  conviction  is  very  strong. 
The  ultimate  aim  of  life  will  be  served  if 
we  can  discharge  the  debt  which  we  owe 
to  our  own  selves.  If  we  keep  this  idea 
ever  in  our  minds  as  we  work  in  the  family, 
in  society,  in  the  State,  we  shall  work  with- 
out seeking  any  result,  whether  personal 
glory,  wealth,  or  even  moral  satisfaction; 
and  all  work  performed  in  this  spirit  will 
purify  our  souls -from  selfishness,  hatred, 
jealousy,  and  anger.  Then  we  shall  go 
our  round  of  daily  tasks,  eating,  drinking, 
talking,  not  with  the  motive  of  preserving 

our  bodies,  but  of  creating  the  conditions 

58 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

necessary  for  the  cancelling  of  all  our 
debts.  We  shall  no  longer  work  through 
attachment  to  the  fruits  of  our  labor,  and 
shall,  in  consequence,  play  our  parts  with- 
out reaping  the  results  of  sorrow,  suffer- 
ing, and  disappointment,  which  too  often 
come  when  the  motive  of  our  effort  is  a 
selfish  one.  Then  also  shall  we  be  in  no 
danger  of  wrong-doing. 

Another  thing  must  be  considered 
before  we  can  work  for  work's  sake.  All 
the  forces  which  we  are  using  in  our  minds 
and  bodies  do  not  really  belong  to  us.  We 
claim  them  as  our  own,  but  in  reality  they 
are  not  ours.  Can  we  say  that  the  air  in 
our  lungs  is  ours?  No;  we  are  only  mak- 
ing use  of  it  for  a  certain  purpose.  Neither 
is  the  force  of  attraction  which  holds  the 
molecules  of  our  bodies  together  ours;  it 
is  in  the  universe.  So  when  we  under- 
stand our  entire   organism,   physical   and 

59 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

mental,  we  find  that  all  the  forces  which 
we  are  using,  belong,  not  to  any  particular 
person,  but  to  the  universe.  Looking  at 
ourselves  from  the  standpoint  of  the  uni- 
verse, we  perceive  that  our  bodies  are  like 
so  many  whirlpools  in  the  sea  of  matter, 
every  particle  of  which  is  in  constant 
motion.  Similarly,  when  we  realize  the 
nature  of  our  minds,  we  discover  that  there 
is  one  mental  current  flowing  through  the 
universe.  When  that  current,  which  is 
known  as  the  cosmic  mind,  appears  in  one 
form,  I  call  it  my  mind,  in  another  form 
you  call  it  your  mind;  but  in  reality,  it 
is  acting  in  every  mind.  The  one  uni- 
versal energy  is  manifesting  through  num- 
berless forms  and  shapes  and  can  never  be 
regarded  as  possessed  by  any  individual. 
The  power  of  thinking,  of  hearing,  tasting, 
smelling,  all  exist  in  the  universe.     Every 

force  operating  through  the  machinery  of 

60 


SECRET    OF   WORK. 

the  human  body  is  a  force  of  nature;  but 
being  self-dehided,  we  dream  that  these 
forces  are  ours.  Therefore  it  is  said: 
''Actions  are  wrought  in  all  cases  by  the 
energies  of  nature.  He  whose  mind  is 
deluded  by  egoism  thinks,  '  I  am  the 
doer.'  " 

Foolish  and  self-blinded  men  fancy  that 
they  are  the  doers  of  their  actions,  and 
consequently  continue  to  reap  the  fruits  of 
their  error  throughout  their  Hves.  So 
long  as  we  identify  ourselves  with  our  bod- 
ies, through  ignorance  of  our  true  nature, 
and  call  ourselves  actors,  players,  or  doers, 
we  must  endure  the  results  of  our  actions. 
The  moment,  however,  that  we  realize 
that  this  body  is  a  part  of  the  universal 
body,  that  this  intellect  is  a  part  of  the 
cosmic  intellect,  that  the  Knower  of  the 
mind,  the  senses,  and  body  is  not  any  one 

of  these,  but  stands  outside,  and  that  this 

6i 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

Knower  is  our  true  Self;  then  we  let  the 
body  work  with  the  full  consciousness  that 
we  are  neither  actor,  worker,  nor  doer,  and 
we  remain  untouched  by  the  consequences 
of  our  actions.  The  one  essential  thing 
is  never  to  forget  that  the  work  done 
by  mind  and  body  is  in  reality  not  per- 
formed by  the  true  Self,  but  by  nature. 
The  wise  ones  realize  this  and  are  freed 
from  the  attachments  which  proceed  from 
ignorance. 

Selfishness  is  the  result  of  ignorance. 
When  we  confound  our  true  Self  or  Atman 
with  the  mind  and  body,  we  imagine  that 
we  are  the  narrow  limited  being  whom  we 
call  "  I  "  or  ''  Me,"  and  refuse  to  recognize 
other  limited  beings  known  as  "  He  "  or 
**  She."  We  think  of  our  own  little  self, 
struggle  to  enrich  that,  and  sufifer  from  the 
results  of  our  ignorance.     By  thus  acting 

from  selfish  motives  year  after  year,  we 

62 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

make  ourselves  unhappy  and  miserable. 
The  wise  ones,  however,  comprehending 
that  these  different  minds  and  egos  are 
only  expressions  of  the  one  cosmic  mind 
and  one  cosmic  ego,  never  make  this  mis- 
take, but  have  regard  to  the  rights  of  all, 
love  others  as  the}^  love  themselves,  and 
are  therefore  always  happy.  Whatever 
they  do,  is  done  not  in  ignorance  but  with 
knowledge.  When  they  play  their  parts 
on  the  stage  of  this  world,  they  are  fully 
aware  how  the  drama  will  end  and  how 
its  purpose  will  be  fulfilled.  They  work 
incessantly,  never  seeking  results ;  for  they 
remember  the  teaching  of  the  blessed 
Lord  Krishna,  ''  To  work  thou  hast  the 
right  but  not  to  the  results  thereof." 

How  can  we  expect  to  get  the  fruits  of 
work  done  by  nature,  and  not  by  our- 
selves? We  cannot.  By  realizing,  how- 
ever,   whence    come   the    forces    that    are 

63 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

expressing  through  our  minds  and  bodies, 
and  by  letting  the  results  of  their  mani- 
festations go  to  the  source  from  which 
the  activity  proceeded,  we  shall  cut  our- 
selves loose  from  the  chain  of  cause  and 
sequence ;  and  when  that  chain  is  broken 
we  shall  be  free.  Then  we  can  let  our 
hands  and  feet,  our  bodies  and  intellects, 
remain  constantly  active,  without  thinking 
of  results  or  forgetting  that  w^e  are  not  in 
reality  the  actors. 

Some  people  imagine  that  by  giving  up 
action  they  will  escape  the  law  of  Karma; 
but  they  are  mistaken.  Those  who  have 
read  the  Bhagavad  Gita  will  recall  the  pas- 
sage where  Krishna  says  to  Arjuna,  when, 
overcome  with  compassion,  he  refuses  to 
fight  his  adversary:  *' Be  not  a  coward, 
this  does  not  befit  thee;  abandon  this  mean 
weakness  of  heart  and  arise,  O  conqueror 

of  thy  enemies!"     And  again:    "Imbued 

64 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

with  egoism  (sense  of  '  I  am  the  doer  '), 
thou  art  determined  not  to  perform  that 
to  which  thy  nature  impels  thee.  Con- 
strained by  thy  nature-born  activities, 
thou  shalt  be  forced  to  do  that  which  from 
delusion  thou  wishest  not  to  do." 

This  may  be  applied  to  our  every-day 
lives.  We  cannot  withdraw  from  the 
work  of  the  w^orld  without,  like  Arjuna, 
being  guilty  of  cowardice.  Besides,  how- 
ever eager  we  may  be  to  retire  from  a  life 
of  action,  we  cannot  in  reality  pass  outside 
the  region  of  activity.  If  we  cease  to 
work  with  our  bodies,  our  minds  still 
remain  active ;  and  our  only  hope  of  free- 
dom is  in  learning  the  Secret  of  Work. 
This  consists,  as  we  have  already  seen,  in 
working  ceaselessly  without  desire  for 
return,  and  without  other  motive  than 
the   emancipation   of  the   soul   by   paying 

our  debts.     He  who  can  thus  act  is  free 

65 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

from  all  the  laws  which  bind  the  ordinary 
individual.  His  whole  work  is  for  man- 
kind. All  that  he  does  is  a  free  offering 
to  the  world.  He  has  no  interest  in 
results;  yet  he  works  tirelessly,  and 
through  his  labors  his  mind  and  heart 
become  purified.  Then  on  the  mirror  of 
his  pure  heart  reflects  the  divine  Spirit 
dwelling  within  him ;  and  he  feels  that  his 
mind  and  body  are  merely  the  instruments 
through  which  the  Divine  will  is  manifest- 
ing its  power.  Of  such  an  one  the  Bha- 
gavad  Gita  tells  us : 

*'  Having  abandoned  attachment  for  the 
fruits  of  action,  ever  content,  dependent 
on  none,  though  engaged  in  actions, 
nothing  at  all  does  he  do." 

Liberated  from  the  bondage  of  igno- 
rance, selfishness,  and  delusion,  and  having 
cut  asunder   the   thread   which   binds   the 

soul  to  birth  and  rebirth,  he  attains  at  last 

66 


SECRET   OF   WORK. 

to  the  realm  of  eternal  peace.  This  peace 
is  considered  the  highest  ideal  by  every 
religion,  and  with  its  realization  the  aim 
of  life  is  achieved.  Having  reached  this 
condition,  the  soul  regains  its  perfect  free- 
dom. Being  no  longer  subject  to  the  laws 
of  nature,  it  is  master,  and  can  manifest 
those  powers  of  omnipotence  and  omnis- 
cience, which  are  its  birthright.  They 
who  have  attained  to  this  state  are  called 
the  Saviours  of  the  world.  Such  were 
Buddha,  Krishna,  Christ,  and  others. 
Realizing  the  oneness  of  the  individual 
soul  with  the  Universal  Spirit,  they  worked 
for  work's  sake,  without  thought  of  re- 
turn, and  whoever  will  work  in  like  man- 
ner, will  know  true  happiness  in  this  life 
and  will  remain  in  peace  forever. 

67 


HI. 

DUTY   OR  MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

**Hc  who  performs  fiis  duty,  tindcf standing  tlic  secret 
of  work,  rises  above  good  and  cvi\"—Bh.  Gita,  Ch.  II,  v.  ^o. 


DUTY   OR   MOTIVE    IN   WORK. 

Activity  of  mind  and  body  is  the  con- 
dition of  life;  absolute  inactivity  means 
death.  This  activity  finds  expression  vari- 
ously in  the  ordinary  work  of  our  every- 
day existence ;  and  this  work  can  be  divided 
into  three  classes,  according  to  the  motive 
which  inspires  it. 

The  first  class  includes  all  that  we  do 
for  the  preservation  of  the  body  and  for 
the  gratification  of  the  senses.  The  sec- 
ond embraces  all  actions  done  from  a 
sense  of  duty;  and  the  third,  all  that  is 
done  freely  and  with  love.     The  actions 

of  the  first  class,  performed  to  satisfy  the 

71 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

cravings  of  the  animal  nature,  are  mainly 
guided  by  two  motives — hunger  and  prop- 
agation of  species.  If  we  go  down  into 
the  vegetable  kingdom,  we  find  these 
motives  expressed  in  the  activity  of  trees 
and  plants.  From  the  lowest  amoeba  to 
human  beings  the  same  expression  is 
equally  present,  the  difference  being  not 
in  kind  but  in  degree.  As  we  rise  higher 
in  the  scale  of  evolution,  we  observe  that 
these  motives  become  more  clearly  defined, 
until  they  reach  their  culminating  point  in 
man,  the  highest  of  all  living  creatures. 
Through  a  further  process  of  evolution, 
these  two  motives  again,  when  inspired 
by  a  love  of  self,  produce  the  sense  of  right 
and  wrong  and  the  sense  of  duty.  The 
second  gradually  develops  from  the  first, 
and  this  invariably  proceeds  from  love  of 
self.     This  love  of  self,  moreover,  is  very 

limited  at  the  outset ;  since  the  self  at  this 

72 


DUTY   OR   MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

period  is  that  which  is  identified  with  the 
body.  Not  only  is  this  the  case  in  lower 
animals,  but  human  beings  also,  who  live 
on  the  animal  plane  and  whose  spiritual 
eyes  are  not  open,  identify  soul  with  body 
and  spirit  with  matter.  They  are  unable 
to  distinguish  one  from  the  other. 

In  every  individual,  at  this  point,  the 
self  is  the  centre  of  all  things,  and  that 
which  benefits  the  self  becomes  the  unique 
object  of  attention ;  then  the  individual 
begins  to  call  that  which  is  beneficial  to 
himself  right,  and  that  which  causes  him 
pain  and  sufifering  wrong.  Moved  by  the 
love  of  self,  he  first  takes  care  of  the  lower 
or  narrow,  limited  ego,  of  that  which  we 
understand  by  the  terms  "  I  "  and  ''  Me," 
without  recognizing  the  "  self "  of  others. 
At  this  stage  of  development  he  has  no 
other  thought  than  to  seek  his  own  pleas- 
ure   and    gratification,    or    to    avoid    that 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

which  may  bring  him  discomfort  and  suf- 
fering; as  we  find  in  savage  tribes,  whose 
sole  concern  is  for  the  lower  self,  who  are, 
so  to  speak,  all  "I,"  all  "Me."  By 
degrees,  when  the  moral  nature  begins  to 
unfold,  this  same  individual  learns  to  rev- 
erence the  rights  of  others;  and  by  others 
here  is  meant  those  who  are  closely  related 
to  the  self — the  nearest  relatives  or  those 
with  whom  the  person  is  constantly  asso- 
ciated. He  now  feels  that  he  should  not 
do  anything  to  injure  his  nearest  of  kin; 
and  this  is  the  first  dawning  of  the  sense 
of  duty.  Henceforth  the  idea  of  right  and 
wrong  is  no  longer  confined  to  the  motives 
cf  self-preservation  and  self-gratification, 
but  includes  the  selves  of  those  joined  to 
him  by  family  ties.  When  the  individual 
finds  a  relative  who  cares  for  his  bodily 
needs  or  gives  him  certain  pleasures,  he 

commences  to  feel  for  that  relative,  and 

74 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

thinks  that  he  ought  to  protect  his  Hfe  and 
seek  his  comfort  as  he  would  his  own. 
This  is  the  awakening  of  the  sense  of  duty 
toward  the  family. 

Next,  if  he  comes  in  contact  with  a 
neighbor  who  brings  comfort  or  pleasure 
into  his  life,  he  develops  for  him  the  same 
feeling  as  that  which  he  bears  toward  his 
blood  relation,  and  he  strives  in  turn  to 
defend  his  interests.  Hence  the  origin  of 
duty  towards  friend  and  neighbor. 

In  this  way,  if  in  our  own  experience  we 
try  to  trace  the  relation  existing  between 
us  and  those  not  connected  with  us  by  ties 
of  blood,  we  shall  find  that  our  feeling  of 
duty  toward  them  has  gradually  sprung 
from  the  basic  principle  of  love  of  self. 
The  particular  duty  of  individuals,  how- 
ever, will  vary  according  to  the  nature  and 
circumstances  of  each  one;  for  there  can 

be  no  absolute   standard   of  duty  for  all, 

75 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

since  duty  is  in  its  essence  relative.     In 

this  great  workshop  of  nature  every  one  is 

bound  to  discharge  the  duties  laid  upon 

him  by  his  special  environments,  and  these 

environments    are    not   always    the   same. 

As   the    environment    varies,    so    will    the 

duties    vary;    and    as    individual    natures 

differ,   so   must   the   sense  of  duty   differ, 

according  to  each  nature  and  its  specific 

tendencies.     That  which  is  duty  for   one 

person  may  not  be  duty  for  another;  that 

which  is  duty  at  one  period  of  life  may  not 

be  such  at  another  period.     A  child  has  its 

duties   toward   its   parents,   but   when   he 

reaches  youth  new  duties  arise.     When  he 

goes  to  school,  he  must  assume  the  duties 

of  the  student  life;  when  he  marries,  the 

duties  of  the  married  life  begin ;  and  when 

he  becomes  a  father,  duties  to  his  children 

bind    him.     When,   again,    he    remembers 

that   he   bears   a    definite   relation   to   his 

76 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

country  or  state,  he  awakens  to  a  sense 
of  duty  toward  the  nation  and  the  govern- 
ment. 

So,  in  the  case  of  every  individual,  it  will 
be  found  that  what  was  duty  at  one 
moment  ceases  to  be  such  at  another; 
while  new^  duties  come  up  to  take  the  place 
of  the  old  ones.  We  all  had  certain  duties 
at  school,  but  where  are  they  now?  Gone! 
We  do  not  think  at  present  in  the  same 
way  as  we  did  when  we  were  students; 
other  duties  have  arisen  and  crowded  out 
those  of  that  time.  Life  is  divided  into 
different  stages,  and  each  stage  has  its  obli- 
gations. It  is  a  continuous  process  of 
evolution  and  progression,  in  which  higher 
duties  are  evolving  out  of  lower  ones  and 
binding  the  soul  for  the  time  being.  When 
we  go  to  our  office,  official  duties  claim  us ; 
when   we   return    home,   we   are    met   by 

household  duties.     Our  whole  existence  is 

11 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

a  series  of  occupations,  each  of  which 
brings  with  it  a  feeling  of  "  ought  " ;  and 
this  feehng  is  the  sense  of  duty  in  us. 
There  is  no  such  thing  as  duty  in  an  objec- 
tive sense ;  we  cannot  get  it  from  outside. 
It  is  purely  subjective.  When  we  perform 
certain  acts  under  certain  circumstances, 
and  are  conscious  that  we  ought  to  do 
them,  that  feeling  of  obligation  is  duty. 
But  who  tells  us  that  we  should? 
Our  own  inner  self.  Impelled  by  natu- 
ral tendencies  and  partial  knowledge,  we 
begin  to  think  that  under  specific  condi- 
tions we  should  perform  these  acts; 
and  so  long  as  we  hold  to  this  belief, 
we  are  forced  to  do  them.  The  feeling 
which  binds  us  to  these  special  acts  of 
body  and  mind  is  the  sense  of  duty.  Duty 
creates  a  kind  of  bondage  between  the 
individual  and  his  environment.     If  we  do 

not  have  the  sense  of  duty,  we  do  not  feel 

78 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

this  bondage.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  condition 
which  makes  us  slaves  while  it  lasts.  In 
our  daily  lives  we  discharge  our  many 
duties  like  bond-servants;  yet  we  keep 
imagining  that  in  doing  them,  we  shall  be 
happy  through  the  satisfaction  which  will 
arise  from  the  consciousness  of  having 
done  them ;  but  the  next  instant  conditions 
change,  our  environment  shifts,  and  we  are 
confronted  by  another  set  of  duties  and  a 
new  feeling  of  "  ought." 

Nothing  can  make  us  free  so  long  as  we 
are  fettered  by  this  sense  of  duty.  It  is 
the  greatest  bondage  of  our  lives.  We 
may  look  upon  it  as  eminently  commend- 
able to  be  perpetually  constrained  by  the 
idea  of  ''  ought,"  and  to  force  ourselves  to 
do  that  which  seems  to  us  duty  for  the 
moment ;  but  it  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
us  to  realize  that  this  will  never  lead  to 

happiness.     We  have  only  to  go  back  in 

79 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY, 

our  own  experience  to  find  that  although 
we  have  performed  numberless  duties,  we 
have  not  gained  any  lasting  happiness 
from  their  accomplishment.  If  we  should 
ask  an  old  man  of  eighty  or  ninety,  who 
has  fulfilled  all  his  obligations  to  family, 
society,  and  country,  if  he  is  happy,  will 
his  answer  be  in  the  aflfirmative?  No;  he 
will  almost  surely  say:  "Although  I  have 
done  all  that  was  required  of  me  as  father, 
husband,  and  citizen,  yet  am  I  not  happy." 
Then  we  stop  and  put  the  question  each 
to  himself:  "  If  I  do  my  whole  duty,  shall 
I  be  any  more  at  peace?  "  And  we  are 
forced  to  admit,  "  Most  probably  not." 
The  mere  fulfilment  of  duty  in  itself 
cannot  be  productive  of  permanently 
good  results.  We  must  know,  among 
the  multiplicity  of  duties  that  sur- 
round us,   which   is   the   most   important ; 

and    finally    we    must    face    the    problem: 

80 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

"  What  is  the  highest,  the  one  real  duty 
of  Hfe?  " 

Some  people  say  that  helping  others  is 
the  highest  duty.  But  why  should  we  help 
others?  Because  some  one  has  said  so,  or 
because  it  is  written  in  some  book?  Why 
should  we  not  kill  everybody  and  enrich 
ourselves?  The  Bible  declares,  "  Fear 
God  and  keep  His  commandments,  for 
this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man."  (Eccles. 
ch.  xii.,  V.  13.)  The  Koran  says:  "  Follow 
the  teachings  of  Mahomet;  this  is  the 
whole  duty  of  man."  Zoroaster  tells  us: 
'*  Follow  the  teachings  of  the  Zend-Avesta 
and  obey  the  commands  of  Ahura  Mazda; 
in  this  lies  the  whole  duty  of  man."  But 
why  should  we  fear  God?  The  answer 
comes,  Because  if  we  do  not,  He  will  pun- 
ish us.  But  why  does  He  command  in  one 
way  for  one  nation  and  in  a  different  way 

for  another?     How,  when  the  Scriptures 

81 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

all  vary,  can  each  lay  claim  to  supreme 
authority?  In  the  Koran  we  read  that  a 
man  may  marry  twenty  times — Mahomet 
himself  had  eighteen  wives — and  this  is  one 
of  the  commands  of  God  under  the  social 
conditions  prevailing  in  that  particular 
country;  but  it  would  scarcely  do  in  Amer- 
ica. Variation,  indeed,  is  a  salient  feature 
of  so-called  divine  commands,  and  when  a 
man  has  read  all  the  Scriptures  of  the 
world,  he  does  not  know  which  to  follow. 
Why,  then,  should  we  obey  the  decrees  of 
God?  There  are  many  wdio  do  not  believe 
in  punishment;  what  is  left  for  them? 
They  will  not  be  impelled  to  observe  God's 
commands,  since  they  have  no  fear  of  His 
wrath;  therefore  such  persons  will  have 
no  duty. 

The  word  duty  is  an  abstract  term,  and, 
like  all  abstract  terms,  cannot  be  defined. 

We  can,  however,  get  some  idea  of  what 

82 


DUTY   OR   MOTIVE    IN   WORK. 

is  meant  by  it  if  we  study  the  different 
Scriptures  and  reduce  their  teaching  to  its 
simplest  form.  In  the  commands  of  God, 
we  observe  that  all  those  which  say,  "  Do 
not  do  this  or  that,"  may  be  summed  up 
in  the  admonition,  "  Do  not  be  selfish,  be 
unselfish."  Let  any  divine  command  be 
analyzed,  and  this  will  be  found  to  be  its 
basis.  Any  action  that  leads  one  from 
selfishness  to  unselfishness,  that  broadens 
and  elevates  the  character,  that  brings 
freedom  to  the  soul  and  directs  it  God- 
ward,  is  good,  and  therefore  becomes  the 
highest  duty  of  every  individual.  On  the 
other  hand,  that  which  shuts  one  within 
the  narrow  walls  of  one's  limited  lower 
nature,  is  selfish  and  should  be  avoided. 
When  a  man  has  realized  this,  his  idea  of 
duty  will  no  longer  be  confined  to  the  say- 
ings of  any  book  or  of  any  person,  but  will 

be    founded    upon    the    universal    law    of 

83 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

unselfishness.  His  standard  will  be :  that 
which  uplifts  the  character  is  right,  that 
which  degrades  it  is  wrong.  The  particu- 
lar line  of  action,  however,  which  will 
elevate  or  degrade  an  individual  will  vary 
according  to  his  nature  and  his  environ- 
ment. Elevation  and  degradation  should 
not  be  measured  by  the  standard  of  any 
one  particular  person  in  one  particular 
stage  of  development,  but  by  the  loftiest 
ideal  of  all  individuals,  of  all  sects,  and  of 
all  religions.  The  highest  common  stand- 
ard is  the  absolute  freedom  of  the  soul 
from  every  bondage.  That  which  leads  to 
such  freedom  is  elevating,  that  which  keeps 
one  in  bondage  is  degrading.  Therefore 
is  it  said  by  Hindu  philosophers:  "  That 
which  elevates  the  soul,  which  brings  pros- 
perity and  absolute  freedom,  both  here  and 
hereafter,    is    true    duty."     This    ideal    of 

duty  is  like  the  pole  star  which  points  the 

84 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

way  to  the  ship  of  the  human  soul  in  the 
troubled  waters  of  the  ocean  of  activity, 
gradually  guiding  it  across  the  deep  sea 
to  the  land  of  perfect  freedom. 

We  have  only  to  be  constantly  mindful 
of  this  one  fact,  that  to  be  unselfish  is 
our  sole  duty,  and  apply  it  to  our  daily 
round,  to  be  sure  that  our  highest  duty  is 
being  accomplished.  In  ordinary  life  we 
are  confronted  by  various  kinds  of  duties — 
toward  ourselves,  toward  our  family,  our 
neighbor,  toward  society,  country,  human- 
ity, and  finally,  as  the  culmination,  toward 
all  living  creatures ;  for  the  one  idea  which 
is  universal  and  common  to  all  in  every 
country  and  in  all  ages  is  the  non-injuring, 
either  mentally  or  physically,  of  any  living 
being.  First  we  start  from  the  lower  self, 
from  the  ''  I  "  or  *'  Me,"  then  by  degrees 
w^e  come  to  recognize  the  self  of  others. 
When  we  begin  to  feel  for  others  in  the 

85 


VEDANTA   PHILOSOPHY. 

same  way  as  we  do  for  ourselves,  we  com- 
mence to  rise  above  the  limitations  of  this 
narrow  self;  and  at  that  very  moment  we 
have  taken  our  first  step  toward  unselfish- 
ness. The  end  is  reached  when  we  realize 
that  all  living  creatures  are  equal  to  our- 
selves. Jesus  the  Christ  said,  *'  Love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself,"  and  '*  Love  your 
enemies  " ;  but  He  did  not  preach  "  Love 
all  living  creatures,"  as  did  Buddha. 
When  a  goat  was  going  to  be  killed, 
Buddha  came  forward  and  offered  his  own 
life  for  that  of  the  goat.  The  goat's  life 
was  saved,  and  the  man  who  would  have 
killed  it,  afterwards  became  Buddha's  dis- 
ciple. When  we  begin  to  cherish  all  living 
creatures  as  we  cherish  ourselves,  we  have 
reached  the  state  of  development  where 
the  sense  of ''  I,"  "  Me,"  and  ''  Mine  "  van- 
ishes ;  where  we  see  all  creation  as  one  on 

the  spiritual  plane.     Therefore  is  it  said  in 

86 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE    IN   WORK. 

the  Bhagavad  Gita :  ^'  He  who  sees  the 
same  Divine  Self  equally  abiding  in  all, 
doth  not  kill  himself  by  his  Self  and  so 
attaineth  the  supreme  goal."  This  real- 
ization of  oneness  of  spirit  is  the  highest 
ideal  of  life.  It  is  the  climax  of  unselfish- 
ness, and  becomes  identical  with  Divine 
love,  because  God  loves  all  creatures 
equally.  His  love,  indeed,  shines  alike 
upon  all,  as  does  the  light  of  the  sun  upon 
man  and  beast  without  distinction  of  kind. 
When  this  love  or  feeling  of  oneness 
awakens  in  the  soul,  we  rise  above  all  duty, 
and  work,  not  through  a  sense  of  obliga- 
tion, but  through  love.  Which  is  the 
higher  of  these  two  motives?  Love  must 
be  higher  than  duty,  and  where  there  is 
love,  there  can  be  no  thought  of  duty.  We 
observe  in  ordinary  life  how,  when  one 
person  falls  in  love  with  another,  he  loses 

all  feeling  of  duty  toward  friends,  relatives, 

87 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

and  society;  because  love  has  annihilated 
all  consciousness  of  other  duties  and  freed 
the  soul.  While  we  are  bound  by  duty, 
we  are  slaves;  but  if  in  this  condition  of 
slavery  we  are  carried  away  by  a  strong 
feeling  of  love,  all  the  sense  of  duty  to  fam- 
ily or  society,  which  previously  held  us  in 
bondage,  melts  away,  and  at  that  moment 
we  become  free.  So  we  see  that  wherever 
there  is  true  love,  there  is  freedom,  and  no 
vestige  of  duty  can  remain.  God  has  no 
duty  toward  any  living  creature,  but  He 
has  love  for  all.  We  should  try,  then,  to 
distinguish  between  love  and  duty;  since 
duty  puts  us  in  bondage,  makes  us  slaves ; 
while  love  brings  freedom  and  emancipa- 
tion to  the  soul. 

When  the  feeling  of  love  toward  every 
living  creature  comes  to  any  one.  that  per- 
son is  free  from  all  duties,  from  all  bond- 
age, from  all  attachment   to   his  physical 

88 


DUTY   OR    MOTIVE    IN   WORK. 

nature.  He  does  not  seek  sense  pleasure, 
neither  does  he  care  to  preserve  the  lower 
self  nor  to  protect  the  body,  because  he 
realizes  that  he  is  not  body  but  soul.  Even 
when  the  body  is  torn  in  pieces,  he  is  not 
moved,  but  holds  to  the  consciousness  of 
his  spiritual  nature,  his  Atman  or  Divine 
Self,  which  cannot  be  cut  in  pieces,  cannot 
be  burned  by  fire,  moistened  by  water  or 
dried  by  air.  In  realizing  this,  he  also 
works  without  thought  of  return.  Even 
those  who  do  their  duty  with  the  hope  of 
return,  cease  to  think  of  results  when  they 
begin  to  be  actuated  by  love ;  and  all  work 
performed  through  this  higher  motive  of 
love  takes  the  form  of  acts  of  worship  of 
the  Supreme  Spirit. 

Duty  is  seldom  sweet  when  not  accom- 
panied by  love ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is 
exceedingly  bitter.  Suppose  a  wife  has 
to  perform  her  dutv  toward  her  husband, 

'89 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

if  there  is  no  love,  is  it  pleasant?  Or,  if 
the  husband  must  do  his  duty  toward  his 
wife,  not  from  love,  but  simply  because 
they  are  bound  together  by  law,  is  there 
any  happiness  in  it?  Where  there  is  love, 
however,  there  is  joy  and  peace,  and 
neither  seeks  any  return.  True  love 
makes  one  work  for  love's  sake,  and  the 
sense  of  duty  disappears.  He  who  under- 
stands this,  knows  the  Philosophy  of  Work ; 
and,  moved  in  all  his  actions  by  love  alone, 
he  becomes  blessed  and  a  divine  worker. 

Jesus  gave  himself  to  mankind  because 
he  loved  them.  Buddha  helped  human- 
ity because  he  saw  men  miserable  and 
suffering  and  could  not  resist  his  desire  to 
save  them,  any  more  than  could  a  man 
who,  seeing  some  one  drowning  and  los- 
ing all  thought  of  himself,  of  his  very  life 
even,  rushes  to  the  rescue.     That  which 

makes  us  forget  our  own  self  or  our  own 

90 


DUTY   OR   MOTIVE    IN   WORK 

life  is  true  love  and  beyond  duty.  Or 
rather  it  is  the  fullihiient  of  the  highest 
duty,  and  must  therefore  bring  freedom. 
Then  whatever  we  do,  we  do  through  love 
and  live  in  this  world  like  incarnations  of 
Divinity. 

The  final  end  of  duty  is  freedom  and 
divine  love,  and  with  the  awakening  of  this 
love  comes  all  knowledge.  Divine  Love 
and  Divine  Wisdom  are  one.  They  unfold 
simultaneously  and  lead  to  God-conscious- 
ness. The  moment  that  a  man  loves  all 
living  creatures  as  he  loves  himself,  he  has 
known  the  Self  of  all  and  has  risen  to  the 
realm  of  God-consciousness;  he  is  no 
longer  on  the  human  plane.  Divine  Love 
means  expression  of  the  feeling  of  one- 
ness. This  oneness  does  not  appear  on 
the  physical  but  only  on  the  highest 
spiritual   plane ;   therefore   when   any  one 

reaches  this  state,  he  knows  God  and  sees 

91 


VEDANTA    PHILOSOPHY. 

Divinity  in  every  thing.  He  does  not  see 
black  man,  white  man,  or  lower  animals, 
but  the  Divine  Self  behind  these  various 
forms.  God  is  manifesting  everywhere 
and  through  every  form  equally.  When 
such  a  man  looks  on  the  face  of  a  person, 
his  eyesight  goes  below  the  surface  to  the 
bottom,  to  the  very  core,  to  the  Soul  of 
that  soul ;  and  through  this  deeper  vision 
he  perceives  that  the  source  of  conscious- 
ness, existence,  and  bliss  within  that  indi- 
vidual is  the  same  as  Atman  or  the  Divine 
spark  within  himself.  In  thus  seeing  one- 
ness, he  performs  his  highest  duty,  be- 
comes one  with  God,  and  declares  as  did 
Jesus  the  Christ:  "  I  and  my  Father  are 
one."  He  dwells  in  that  supreme  God- 
consciousness  forever;  he  has  no  trouble, 
anxiety,  or  sorrow ;  he  is  free,  emancipated, 
blissful.     How  can  there  be  any  sorrow, 

suffering,  misery,  or  pain  where  there  is 

92 


DUTY    OR   MOTIVE   IN   WORK. 

nothing  but  Divinity?  All  these  exist 
where  the  idea  of  duality  or  multiplicity 
prevails;  but  with  the  recognition  of 
spiritual  unity  comes  the  cessation  of  pain, 
sorrow,  and  suffering. 

The  universe  is  one  ocean  of  Divinity, 
and  all  fear  of  death  and  punishment  must 
vanish  with  the  realization  of  this  truth. 
The  real  Self  never  suffers.  It  is  already 
divine  and  free  from  birth  and  death;  and 
when  we  know  this,  life  becomes  worth 
living  here  and  now.  Otherwise  we  may 
perform  duties  forever  without  finding 
peace  and  happiness;  but  he  who  has 
understood  the  one  supreme  duty  and  ful- 
filled that,  has  reached  freedom  and  gained 
Divine  Love  and  Divine  Wisdom  on  this 

earth. 

93 


How  to  be  a  Yogi.     C^''^'*'  Edition.) 

BY  SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA 

I.     Introductory.  III.      Science  of  Breathing. 

II.     What  is  Yoga?  IV.     Was  Christ  a  Yogi? 

12mo,  i88  pages.     Portrait  of  author,  frontispiece. 


*' For  Christians  interested  in  foreign  missions  this  book  is  of 
moment,  as  showing  the  method  of  reasoning  which  they  must  be 
prepared  to  meet  if  they  are  to  influence  the  educated  Hindu,  To 
the  Orientalist,  and  the  philosopher  also,  the  book  is  not  without 
interest.  .  .  .  Swami  AbhedSnanda  preaches  no  mushroom  creed 
and  no  Eurasian  hybrid  '  theosophy.'  He  aims  to  give  us  a  com- 
pendious account  of  Yoga.  Clearly  and  admirably  he  performs  his 
task.  In  form  th^^.  little  book  is  excellent,  and  its  English  style  is 
good." — Nevj  York  Times  Saturday  Review  of  Books  ^  Dec.  6,  1902, 

•'  *  How  to  be  a  Yogi '  is  a  little  volume  that  makes  very  interest- 
ing reading.  The  book  contains  the  directions  that  must  be  fol- 
lowed in  physical  as  well  as  in  mental  training  by  one  who  wishes 
to  have  full  and  perfect  control  of  all  his  powers." — Records 
Herald^  Chicago,  Feb.  28,  1903. 

"  The  SwSmi  writes  in  a  clear,  direct  manner.  His  chapter  on 
Breath  will  elicit  more  than  ordinary  attention,  as  there  is  much  in 
it  that  will  prove  helpful.  The  book  makes  a  valuable  addition  to 
Vedanta  Philosophy." — Mind,  June,  1903. 

*'  The  book  is  calculated  to  interest  the  student  of  Oriental 
thought  and  familiarize  the  unread  with  one  of  the  greatest  philo- 
sophical systems  of  the  world." — Buffalo  Courier^  Nov.  23,  1902, 

*•  •  How  to  be  a  Yogi  *  practically  sums  up  the  whoie  science  of 
Vedanta  Philosophy.  The  term  Yogi  is  lucidly  defined  and  a  full 
analysis  is  given  of  the  science  of  breathing  and  its  bearing  on  the 
highest  spiritual  development.  The  methods  and  practices  of  Yoga 
are  interestingly  set  forth,  and  not  the  least  important  teaching  of 
the  book  is  the  assertion  of  how  great  a  Yogi  was  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth."—  The  Bookseller,  Newsdealer  and  Stationer^  Jan.  15,  1903. 

"  This  book  is  well  worth  a  careful  reading.  Condensed,  yet 
clear  and  concise,  it  fills  one  with  the  desire  to  ert.uiate  these  Yogis 
m  attaiaing  spiritual  perfection."— 6^»2/>',  Kansas  City,  Dec.,  1902. 

NOTE:-  Postage  is  subject  to  Parcel  Post  rates  according  to  zones 

All  orders  received  by  and  money  orders  and  checks  made 

payable  to 

VEDANTA    ASHRAMA 


Great  Saviors  of  the  World 

rvoi.  I.) 
A   NEW   BOOK 

BY 

SWAMI   ABHEDANANDA 


CONTENTS. 

I.  Great  Saviors  of  the  World  (Introductory.) 
II.  Krishna  and  His  Teachings. 

III.  Zoroaster  and  His  Teachings. 

IV.  Lao-Tze  and  His  Teachings. 

"  These  studies  are  scholarly  and  comprehensive  reviews  of 
historic  fact.  They  are  also  broad  and  open  interpretations  of  moral 
and  spiritual  forces.  The  author's  attitude  is  reverent  toward  all. 
His  mind  is  free.  His  speech  is  peculiarly  impressive.  Surely,  it 
speaks  well  for  the  world  that  its  people  can  look  without  bitterness 
and  jealousy  upon  the  fact  that  God  has  sent,  and  will  send,  many 
Saviors  into  the  world.  This  is  a  good  study,  fitted  to  open  the 
heart  and  liberalize  va.ind.''''  —  Washington  Star.  June  29,  191a. 

*'  A  valuable  contribution  to  metaphysics."— /V7r^/a«</  Oregonian. 
June  23,  igi2. 

"The  work  is  taken  up  somewhat  in  chronological  order.  .  .  . 
The  teachings  of  the  thinkers  who  form  the  subject  of  the  lectures  are 
faithfully  reported.  The  author  holds  no  special  brief  for  any  of 
those  remarkable  men  but  endeavors  to  state  precisely  what  their 
ideas  were.  The  style  of  the  author  is  interesting  as  well  as  perfectly 
lucid." — Buffalo  Nexus,  April  21,  1912. 

Swami  Abhedananda  emphasizes  the  similarities  in  the  teaching 
of  these  great  men.  His  aim  is  "  to  show  that  the  fundamental  teach- 
ings of  the  founders  of  the  great  religions  of  the  world  have  had  the 
same  spiritual  keynote  and  that  the  stories  connected  with  their  lives 
and  miraculous  deeds  are  similar  to  those  of  Jesus  Christ." — St.  Paul 
Pioneer  Press,  August  4,  1912, 


Press  Notices. — Continued. 


"  He  (author)  attempts  to  explain  their  ideas  accurately  and  pays 
much  attention  to  the  legends  of  the  east  relative  to  the  origin  of  the 
great  leaders  in  sacred  affairs." — Des  Moines  Capital^  June  s,  191a. 

"  It  sets  forth  in  picturesque  language  the  principal  events  in  the 
lives  of  his  heroes  and  gives  a  good  concise  idea  of  their  teachings.^' 
—  The  Indianapolis  Star,  May  26,  1912. 

"  Swami  Abhedananda's  discourses  point  to  the  essential  harmony 
of  religions  •  .  .  and  offer  an  unusual  opportunity  to  study  from 
conemporaneous  expressions  the  companion  viewpoints  of  faith  and 
pure  culture."— A'^i'w  York  World,  May  25,  1912. 

"  The  life  and  teachings  of  three  great  Sages,  of  whom  the  West- 
ern world  knows  far  too  little,  is  treated  in  a  wonderfully  clear  and 
attractive  manner.  .  .  .  Their  illumined  efforts  in  lifting  up  a  new 
ensign  for  the  people  of  their  respective  countries  are  described  by  an 
Oriental  Scholar,  who  is  perfectly  fitted  for  the  task,  and  has  familiar- 
ized himself  with  the  available  records  of  their  almost  superhuman 
labors.  Each  of  these  great  souls  is  made  to  live  again  in  the  respect- 
ive chapters  of  this  engrossing  work,  very  interesting  side  lights  are 
thrown  on  alleged  inaccuracies,  many  abscure  points  are  made  plain, 
and  the  underlying  principles  they  set  out  to  teach  are  conveyed  in 
simple,  but  scholarly  style." — The  Column,  June,  1912. 

"  Swami's  book  will  do  infinitely  more  good  at  the  present  time 
in  the  west  than  any  book  he  could  have  written  upon  the  different 
schools  of  Vedanta." — Vedanta  Universal  Messenger,  Dec,  1912. 

*' It  breathes  the  spirit  of  deep  vision  and  profound  learning  and 
one  sees  that  the  Swami  is  actuated  by  the  spirit  of  his  Master,  Sri 
Ramakrishna,  that  Synthesis  of  the  Religious  Consciousness.  .  .  . 
The  quotations  from  learned  authors,  bearing  relation  to  the  historical 
features  of  the  Avataras  with  which  the  book  is  replete,  shows  how 
diligently  the  Swami  has  prepared  himself  for  his  arduous  task.  He 
has  left  nothing  unsaid, — Awakened  India,  Nov.,  1912. 

"This  collection  of  lectures  by  the  well-known  Vedantist  con- 
stitutes the  first  of  a  series  of  three  volumes  dealing  with  the  same 
subject.  As  the  author  indicates  in  his  preface,  the  word  "  Saviour" 
is  used  by  him  in  the  broad  sense,  and  not  as  denoting  "a  Saviour 
who  saves  from  eternal  damnation."  The  present  volume  deals  with 
the  lives  and  teachings  of  Krishna,  Zoroaster,  and  Lao-Tze^  viewed 
in  the  unifying  light  of  the  Vedanta.  The  many  admirers  of  Swami 
Abhedananda's  works  will  welcome  this  addition  to  the  list,  whilst 
those  who  have  not  yet  had  the  pleasure  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  grandeur  of  the  teachings  of  this  religio-philosophy,  through 
the  light  of  which  "the  Unity  of  the  Godhead  under  variety  of  names 
and  forms"  may  be  perceived,  will  assuredly  read  the  book  not  only 
with  interest,  but  come  from  its  perusal  with  the  conviction  that  the 
Swami  possesses  the  happy  gift  of  bringing  to  light  in  an  interesting 
and  attractive  manner  the  harmony  existing  between  the  leading 
world-religions."— C'c^w/^  Review,  July,  1912,  London,  England. 


In  the  Press 

GREAT   SAVIORS   OF  THE   WORLD 
Vols.  II.  and  III. 


Human  Affection  and 
Divine  Love 

BY 

SWAMI   ABHEDANANDA 


A  suitable  gift-book  full  of  inspiring  thoughts.  It  describes 
the  evolution  of  Love  in  its  various  stages — animal,  human, 
and  divine  ;  and  shows  that  love  is  not  an  emotional  sentiment 
as  commonly  understood  but  an  attribute  of  our  Real  Self. 

"  Beautifully  expressed  sentences,  on  the  idealism  of  love,  reflected 
from  India." — Portland  Oregonian^  June  23,  1912. 

"Never  under  any  circumstances  is  divine  love  an  evil  thing,  but 
is  everlasting  in  its  beneficent  blessings.  In  this  little  book  the  author 
contrasts  the  enduring  beauty  of  the  divine  love  with  that  of  human 
affections  which  if  misdirected  in  its  selfishness  results  in  murder, 
robbery  and  other  crimes.  His  book  is  divided  into  two  parts  and  the 
latter  includes  numerous  quotations  to  prove  his  argument."— Z?^f 
Moisnes  Capital.,  June  5,  1912. 

"  It  is  written  simply  and  the  mysticism  in  it  is  somewhat  akin  to 
the  mysticism  of  Maeterlinck,  Emerson  and  of  Thomas  d  Kempis^ 
different  as  they  all  are." — .S"^.  Paul  Pioneer  Press,  Aug.  4,  1912. 

"A  tiny  book  but  containing  a  volume  of  profound  thought  wis- 
dom and  beauty.  It  was  Drummond  who  wrote  that  the  greatest 
thing  in  the  world  was  "  Love,"  and  since  then  love  has  somehow  had 
a  greater  significance  and  more  exalted  place  in  the  world  than  it  ever 
occupied  before.  But  even  Drummond  did  not  put  it  on  the  high 
plane  or  give  it  such  exquisite  meaning  as  this  writer  has.  He  casts 
away  the  material  and  shows  that  the  love  that  exalts,  the  love  that 
worketh  only  good  reaches  through  the  material  to  the  divine."— (Prif* 
£on  Journal,  April  28,  1912. 


Press  Notices. — Continued. 

"  Human  affection  has  ever  been  manifested  in  attachment  to  some 
object,  and  the  enlightened  passages  in  this  practical  little  volume 
show  the  same  tendency  on  the  animal  plane  by  means  of  a  very  fine 
comparison.  The  nature  and  expression  of  Divine  Love  is  also  very 
skillfully  analysed,  and  a  nice  distinction  drawn,  between  it  and  the 
human  quality.  The  author  feelingly  portrays  an  ideal  behind  both, 
which  might  well  be  adopted  by  the  individual,  and  typified  in  his 
relation  to  others  in  daily  life,  with  invaluable  results  to  all.  The 
words  of  the  Swami  on  "that  Divine  Love  that  knows  no  fear,"  but 
realizes  everything  comes  from  God  are  uttered  in  a  decisive  style  that 
will  appeal  to  an  army  of  souls,  who  to-day  feel  the  truth  of  such  a 
principle.  Those  will  be  greatly  helped  by  the  plain  and  highly  intell- 
igent explanation  of  a  great  truth,  in  which  the  vividness  of  Oriental 
expression  is  reproduced  in  Western  terms  by  a  master  of  both 
languages.  This  especially  applies  to  the  closing  chapter  where  aptly 
chosen  illustrations  so  dear  to  the  oriental  mind  elucidate  the  two 
characteristics  of  ecstatic  love,  the  three  states  of  consciousness  and 
their  correspondence  to  the  five  sheaths  of  the  soul,  beyond  which  is 
the  True  Self,  the  Absolute.  An  elevating  manual  quite  in  keeping 
with  the  Author's  previous  best  work." — The  Column^  June,  1912. 

"It  is  thoroughly  sound  and  happily  written  book,  a  fine  intro- 
duction to  Bhakti  Marga.  It  is  profitable  reading  to  every  person 
while  to  the  more  philosophically  inclined  it  affords  valuable  instruct- 
ion."—  The  Brahmavadirty  Madras  India^  Dec,  1912. 

"Carefully  does  the  Swami  draw  the  distinction,  showing  how 
human  love  attains  its  climax  in  directing  itself  to  Godi.''''— Awakened 
India,  Nov.,  1912. 

"  This  is  a  book  presenting  somewhat  of  the  old. Indian  phil- 
osophy, which  is  noble  and  pure.  It  is  in  no  sense  a  departure  from 
Western  thought,  as  one  might  be  led  to  suppose.  It  is  well  written 
and  free  from  metaphysical  speculations."— ^r<7<7>t/y»  Eagle,  June  14, 
39x3, 


Unity  and  Harmony 

A  New  Lecture  by 

SWAMI    ABHEDANANDA 


Divine  Heritage  of  Man. 

BY  SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA 

12mo,  215    pages.       Portrait   of  author,   frontispiece. 


Contents.  I.  Existence  of  God.  II.  Attributes  of  God. 
III.  Has  God  any  Form?  IV.  Fatherhood  and  Motherhood 
of  God.  V.  Relation  of  Soul  to  God.  VI.  What  is  an  Incar- 
nation of  God  ?  VII.  Son  of  God.  VIII.  Divine  Principle 
in  Man. 

"  The  Swami  Abhedananda's  writings  are  also  companionable  and  read- 
able. .  .  .  The  Philosophy  of  India,  being  the  bringing  together  of  the 
best  thoughts  and  reasonings  of  the  best  men  for  the  thousands  of  preced- 
ing years,  had  under  consideration  the  self-same  problems  that  are  to-day 
vexing  the  souls  of  our  philosophers.  The  Swami's  book  is  therefore  not 
so  radical  a.  departure  from  accepted  thought  as  might  at  first  be  imagined. 
...  It  is  not  meat  for  babes,  but  rather  will  it  give  new  lines  of  thought 
to  the  brightest  intellects." — Transcript,  Boston,  Aug.  1903. 

"His  method  of  dealing  with  these  fundamental  questions  is  peculiarly 
free  both  from  dogmatic  assertion  and  from  pure  metaphysical  specula- 
tion."— Inter-Ocean,  Chicago,  Aug.  1903. 

*'  He  bases  his  arguments,  not  on  theological  hypotheses,  but  on  scientific 
facts." — Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  Aug.  1903. 

"  It  is  written  in  a  plain  and  logical  style,  and  cannot  fail  to  interest  all 
who  are  anxious  for  information  concerning  the  philosophy  of  which  the 
author  is  such  an  able  exponent," — Times   Pittsburg,  June,  1903. 

"  A  glance  over  a  few  of  its  pages  would  be  sufficient  to  convince  the 
reader  that  he  is  in  the  presence  of  an  intellect  of  high  order,  more 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  philosophies  and  sciences  of  the  Occi- 
dental world  than  most  Europeans  or  Americans.  .  .  .  The  "  Divine 
Heritage  of  Man  "  gives  a  rare  insight  into  the  religious  views  of  educated 
Hindoos  and  in  its  argumentation  furnishes  an  intellectual  treat."— 
Chronicle,  San  Francisco,  Aug.  1903. 

"  Fully  cognizant  of  modern  scientific  di:5coveries,  the  author  treats 
his  subject  broadly." — Bookseller,  Newsdealer^  and  Publisher,  New 
York,  Aug.  1903. 

"  The  student  of  religions  will  find  much  of  value  in  the  discourses, 
since  they  are  full  of  historical  information  concerning  the  origin  and 
growth  of  certain  ideas  and  beliefs  dominant  in  Christianity." — Republi- 
can^ Denver,  July,  1903. 

"There  is  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  author  to  assail  any  of  the 
Christian  principles,  but  he  simply  jTcsents  his  subject  with  calmness, 
not  attempting  to  reconcile  religion  and  science,  for  to  him  they  ar» 
oae." — Washington  Post,  June,  1903. 


Self-Knowledge  (Atma-Jnana). 

BY  SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA 


I.  Spirit  and  Matter.  IV.  Search  after  the  Self. 

II.  Knowledge  of  the  Self.  V,   Realization  of  the  Self. 

III.  Prana  and  the  Self.  VI.  Immortality  and  the  Self. 

•'  So  practically  and  exhaustively  is  each  phase  of  the  subject 
treated  that  it  may  well  serve  as  a  text-book  for  anyone  striving 
for  self-development  and  a  deeper  understanding  of  human  nature." 
'—Toronto  Saturday  Night,  Dec.  1905. 

"  It  will  also  be  welcomed  by  students  of  the  Vedic  Scriptures, 
since  each  chapter  is  based  upon  some  one  of  the  ancient  Vedas 
known  as  the  Upanishads,  and  many  passages  are  quoted." — 
Chicago  Inter-0cea7i,  Jan.  1906. 

*'  The  book,  from  the  gifted  pen  of  the  head  of  the  Vedanta 
Society  of  New  York,  presents  in  a  clear  manner,  calculated  to 
arrest  the  attention  of  those  not  yet  famihar  with  Vedic  literature, 
the  principles  of  self-knowledge  as  taught  by  the  leaders  of  that 
philosophy.  .  .  .  The  many  passages  quoted  prove  the  profound 
wisdom  and  practical  teaching  contained  in  the  early  Hindu  Scrip- 
tures."—  Washington  Evening  Star,  Dec.  1905. 

"  A  new  hook  which  will  be  welcome  to  students  of  Truth, 
whether  it  be  found  in  the  Eastern  religions,  in  modern  thought 
or  elsewhere." — Unity,  Nov,  1905. 

"The  book  is  very  well  written." — Saji  Francisco  Chronicle^ 
Dec.  1905. 

"  In  forcefulness  and  clearness  of  style  it  is  in  every  way  equal 
to  the  other  works  by  the  Swami  Abhedananda,  who  has  always 
shown  himself  in  his  writings  a  remarkable  master  of  the  English 
language." — Mexican  Herald,  Dec.  1905. 

"  The  volume  is  forcefully  written,  as  are  all  of  this  author's 
works,  and  cannot  fail  to  be  of  great  interest  to  all  who  have  entered 
this  field  of  thought.  A  fine  portrait  of  the  Swami  forms  the 
frontispiece." — Toledo  Blade,  Nov.  1905. 


India  and  Her  People 

(Lectures  delivered  before  the  Brooklyn  Institute 

of  Arts  and  Sciences  during  the  season 

of  1905-1906.) 

BY 

SWAMI    ABHEDANANDA 

THIRD  EDITION 


Contents 
I.  Philosophy  of  India  To-day. 
II.  Religions  of  India. 

III.  Social  Status  of  India:  Their  System  of  Caste. 

IV.  Political  Institutions  of  India. 
V.  Education  in  India. 

VI.  The  Influence  of  India  on  Western  Civilization  and  the 
Influence  of  Western  Civilization  on  India. 

"  This  book  has  more  than  usual  interest  as  coming-  from  one  who 
knows  the  Occident  and  both  knows  and  loves  the  Orient.  ...  It 
is  decidedly  interesting.  .  .  .  The  book  has  two  admirable  qualities: 
breadth  in  scope  and  suggestiveness  in  material."— j5;<//^/'/«  0/  the 
American  Geographical  Society^  Sept,  1906. 

"This  volume,  written  in  an  attractive  style  and  dealing  with  the 
life,  philosophy  and  religion  of  India,  should  prove  a  useful  addition  to 
the  literature  of  a  fascinating  and  as  yet  largely  unknown  subject.  It 
is  designed  for  popular  reading,  the  metaphysical  portions  being  so 
handled  that  the  reader  runs  little  risk  of  getting  beyond  his  depth." 
—Literary  Digest,  Feb.  16,  1907. 

"  The  Swami  possesses  the  exceptional  advantage  of  being  able  to 
look  upon  his  own  country  almost  from  the  standpoint  of  an  outsider 
and  to  handle  his  subject  free  from  both  foreign  and  native  prejudice." 

—  New  York  lVor/d,Aug.  4,  1906. 

"  It  is  a  valuable  contribution  to  Western  knowledge  of  India,  con- 
taining precisely  what  the  American  wants  :o  know  about  that  region.' 

—  IVashington  Evening  Star,  Aug.  4,  1906. 

"  It  is  impossible  to  quarrel  with  his  book.  He  (Swami)  writes  too 
interestingly  and  he  is  a  maa  with  a  mission." —  The  Sunday  Oregonian, 
Aug.  26,  1906. 


PRESS   NOTICES  OF  "INDIA   AND   HER   PEOPLE/' 

"The  views  set  forth  in  this  work  by  Swami  Abhedananda  .  .  .  are 
interesting,  as  being  those  of  a  native  of  India  who  has  devoted  much 
time  and  attention  to  the  study  of  those  questions  which  affect  the 
government  and  general  administration  of  the  country.  The  author 
has  selected  a  wide  range  of  subjects  for  treatment,  embracing  the 
social,  political,  educational,  and  religious  conditions  as  they  now  exist, 
and,  speaking  generally,  has  invariably  exercised  sound  tact  and  judg- 
ment in  discussing  the  many  different  questions  embraced  under  thostf 
headings." — Journal  of  the  Royal  Colonial  Institute^  April,  IQ07, 
London,  England, 

"An  excellent  contribution  to  the  very  scanty  literature  on  India. 
.  .  .  Ail  chapters  are  instructive  to  any  one  aspiring  to  a  knowledge 
of  this  vast  country.  ...  It  is  a  book  which  every  non-Indian  visit' 
ing  India  or  making  a  temporary  or  permanent  stay  therein,  and  also 
every  son  of  the  soil,  should  have  by  his  side." — 7 he  Arya^  February^ 
1907,  Madras,  India. 


Reincarnation. 


(Nezu  and  Enlarged  Edition,} 

I.  Reincarnation. 

II.  Heredity  and  Reincarnation. 

III.  Evolution  and  Reincarnation. 

IV.  Which  is  Scientific,  Resurrection  or  Reincarnation? 
V.  Theory  of  Transmigration. 

"  In  these  discourses  the  Swami  Abhedananda  considers  the  questions 
of  evolution  and  the  resurrection  in  their  bearing  upon  the  ancient 
teaching  of  rebirth,  the  truth,  logic  and  justice  of  which  are  rapidly 
permeating  the  best  thought  of  the  Western  world.  For  the  preserva- 
tion of  this  doctrine  mankind  is  indebted  to  the  literary  storehouses  of 
India,  the  racial  and  geographical  source  of  much  of  the  vital  knowledge 
of  Occidental  peoples.  Reincarnation  is  shown  in  the  present  volume 
to  be  a  universal  solvent  of  life's  mysteries.  It  answers  those  questions 
of  children  that  have  staggered  the  wisest  minds  who  seek  to  reconcile 
the  law  of  evolution  and  the  existence  of  an  intelligent  and  just  Creator, 
with  the  proposition  that  man  has  but  a  single  lifetime  in  which  to  de- 
velop spiritual  self-consciousness.  It  is  commended  to  every  thinker," 
—Mind,  February,  igoo. 

"  It  is  a  work  which  will  appeal  to  the  novice  for  its  simplicity  and 
definite  quality,  and  to  the  student  for  its  wealth  of  knowledge  and 
suggestion." — Vedanta  Monthly  Bulletin,,  Sept.^  IQ07. 

"The  book  should  prove  a  valuable  acquisition." — The  Evening 
Sun,  I^.  v.,  December  21,  IQ07. 

"This  is  the  work  of  a  man  of  fine  education  and  of  fine  intellect. 
.  .  .  (Reincarnation)  as  expounded  by  Swami  Abhedananda  is  very 
plausible,  quite  scientific,  and  far  from  uncomforting.  The  exposition 
contained  in  this  little  book  is  well  worth  reading  by  all  students  of 
metaphysics.  There  is  not  the  slightest  danger  of  its  converting  or 
perverting  any  one  to  a  new  and  strange  religion.  Reincarnation  is 
not  religion,  it  is  science.  Science  was  never  known  to  hurt  anybody 
but  scientists." — Brooklyn  Eagle,  December  ij,  IQ07. 


WORKS  BY  SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA. 


Philosophy  of  Work. 


I.     Philosophy  of  Work. 
II.     Secret  of  Work. 
III.     Duty  or  Motive  in  Work. 


**  In  this  volume  the  Vedanta  Society  presents  three  lectures  by  the 
leader  of  the  Hindu  religious  movement  that  is  making  much  head- 
way among  philosophic  minds  throughout  the  United  States.  The 
book  is  an  excellent  antidote  to  the  gospel  of  selfism  now  popular 
in  many  quarters,  and  a  copy  should  be  in  the  hands  especially  of 
every  ambitious  seeker  after  the  loaves  and  fishes  of  material  desire. 
It  shows  the  folly  of  slavery  to  sense  and  the  means  of  escape  from 
the  thraldom  of  egoism,  while  elucidating  the  Hindu  concept  ol 
many  things  that  are  '  race  problems '  because  of  individual  igno 
ranee  of  spiritual  principles.  These  discourses  merit  a  wide  circular 
tion  among  unprejudiced  minds." — Mind,  February,  J903. 


Single  Lectures.  . 

Christian  Science  and  Vedanta. 

Cosmic  Evolution  and  its  Purpose. 

Divine  Communion. 

Does  the  Soul  Exist  after  Death  ? 

The  Motherhood  of  God. 

The  Philosophy  of  Good  and  Evil. 

The  Relation  of  Soul  to  God. 

Religion  of  the  Hindus. 

Scientific  Basis  of  Religion, 

Simple  Living. 

Spiritualism  and  Vedanta. 

The  Way  to  the  Blessed  Life, 

Who  is  the  Saviour  of  Souls  ? 

Why  a  H  indu  Accepts  Christ  and  Rejects  Chukchi anity. 

Why  a  Hindu  is  a  Vegetarian. 

Woman's  Place  in  Hindu  Religion. 

The  Word  and  the  Cross  in  Ancient  India. 


Single  Lectures  Parts  I  &  H.    Bound  in  cloth. 


The  Sayings  of  Sri  Ramakrishna. 

COMPILED  BY 

SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA. 

Ramakrishna  was  a  great  Hindu  saint  of  the  nineteenth  century 
who  has  already  had  an  influence  on  the  religious  thought  of 
America  and  England  through  the  teachings  of  his  disciples, 
Swami  Vivekftnanda,  SwSmi  Abhedananda,  and  others.  His  Say- 
ings are  full  of  broad,  practical,  non-sectarian  instructions  concern- 
ing the  spiritual  life  which  cannot  but  give  help  and  inspiration 
to  the  followers  of  all  creeds.  The  present  volume  contains  a 
larger  number  of  Sayings  than  has  yet  appeared  in  any  one  English 
collection.  For  the  first  time  also  they  have  been  classified  into 
chapters  and  arranged  in  logical  sequence  under  marginal  head- 
ings, such  as  "All  creeds  paths  to  God,"  "  Power  of  Mind  and 
Thought,"  "Meditation,"  "Perseverance."  As  an  exposition  of 
the  universal  truths  of  Religion  and  their  application  to  the  daily 
life  this  book  takes  its  place  among  the  great  scriptures  of  the 
world. 

Spiritual  Unfoldment, 

BY  SWAMI  ABHEDANANDA 

I.     Self-control. 
II.     Concentration  and  Meditati(m. 
III.     God-consciousness. 


*'  This  attractive  little  volume  comprises  three  lectures  on  the 
Vedanta  Philosophy.  The  discourses  will  be  found  vitally  helpful  even 
by  those  who  know  little  and  care  less  about  the  spiritual  and  ethical 
teachings  of  which  the  Swami  is  an  able  and  popular  exponent.  As 
the  Vedanta  itself  is  largely  a  doctrine  of  universaJs  and  ultimates,  Jio 
also  is  this  book  of  common  utility  and  significance  among  all  races  oi 
believers.  Its  precepts  are  susceptible  of  application  by  any  rational 
thinker,  regardless  of  religious  predilection  and  inherited  prejudices. 
The  principles  set  forth  by  this  teacher  are  an  Excellent  corrective  of 
spiritual  bias  or  narrowness,  and  as  such  the  present  work  is  to  be  com- 
mended. It  has  already  awakened  an  interest  in  Oriental  literature  that 
augxirs  well  for  the  cause  of  human  brotherhood,  and  it  merits  a  wide 
circulation  among  all  who  cherish  advanced  ideals." — Mind^  A^ril^ 
I902. 


What  is  Vedanta? 


Pamphlet  printed  for  distribution  containing  a  short  exposition  of 
the  fundamental  teachings  of  the  Vedanta  Philosophy.    i2mo,  8  pp. 


The  Gospel  of  Ramakrishna. 

Authorized  Edition. 
WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

SWAMI   ABHEDANANDA. 

448  pages;  with  two  pictures,  maginal  notes,  and  index. 


Full  leather   binding,   flexible  cover,  circuit  edge  with  red 
and  gold  in  the  style  of  "Teachers'  Bible." 


"The  sayings  of  a  mystic  who  has  much  influence  in  India 
and  who  has  been  made  known  to  the  Western  world  by  various 
missionary  *  Swamis  '  will  be  found  in  '  The  Gospel  ol  Rama- 
krishna.' They  have  been  translated  into  excellent  English." 
—  The  Stm,  Nezv  York. 

" '  The  Gospel  of  Ramakrishna '  contains  the  religious 
teachings  of  this  modern  Hindu  saint  whose  life  contained  so 
many  good  deeds  that  his  followers  thought  him  little  short  of 
divine." — The  Boston  Globe,  Boston,  Mass. 

<<  During  his  lifetime  his  career  and  personality  attracted 
much  attention  from  English  and  German  scholars  of  the  nine- 
teenth century." — The  Chicago  Inter-Ocean,  Chicago,  in. 

"The  book  is  filled  with  beautiful  thoughts  and  beauti- 
ful teachings,  which,  if  followed,  would  lead  to  a  perfect  life. 
One  cannot  marvel  that  the  sayings  of  RS.makrishna  made  a 
deep  impress  on  modern  Hindu  thought.  He  was  at  least  a 
great  and  wise  scholar,  and  gave  goodly  advice  to  his  followers." 
.^The  San  Francisco  Exaffiiner,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

**It  is  a  remarkable  book  and  it  should  be  a  rare  privilege 
to  read  it." — The  Oregonian,  Portland,  Oregon, 


14  DAY  USE 

RFTURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 


LOAN  DEPT. 


This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
or  on  the  date  to  which  renewed.  Renewals  only: 

Tel.  No.  642-3405 
Renewals  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  date  due. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

Due  end  of  SPR'i^IG  Qjart'^r 


subject  to  recall   after 


APR 


2  0  73  1  9 


(^EB  13  1978 


^^^&%S^      MflK  i  9  7^ 


f 


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(Q8677sl0)476-A-31 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


